Walking With You

by Aylatha

"And how have you been, Sonea?", Lorlen asked. "Well." "Well, she says", Akkarin huffed, covering his face with one hand. "I'm still alive, aren't I?" Lorlen's eyebrows rose. Rothen's knees buckled. "What?", he yelped, colour draining from his face.

5. Sonea's Gambit

Or: Sonea is so done.

---

To say that she was worried as she followed their silent guide down a dark, damp passage would be an understatement.

Every Dwell knew about the Thieves' Road, a network of tunnels and secret passages that spanned the entire slums – if not beyond. And every Dwell knew that using them without permission from a Thief was asking for trouble.

The fact that they had been led down here could only mean one thing: They were on their way to meet a Thief.

Tightening her hold on Kerrel a little, Jonna tried her hardest not to let on how nervous she was. She wasn't sure if he understood what was happening, but there was a chance that he might notice if she grew too agitated.

She glanced back to see how Ranel was holding up. His leg had pained him again today, and was even stiffer than usual. Since he had to use a cane to walk, he had been unable to carry Kerrel – instead, Jonna had strapped baby Hania to his chest.

Ranel gave her the most reassuring smile he could muster.

Jonna had no idea how long they'd been underground, but their silent trek through the darkness, illuminated only by the lantern their guide was holding, seemed endless. Jonna bit her lip as she tried – for what felt like the 1.000th time – to figure out what was going on.

They had never been foolish – or desperate – enough to enter into a deal with a Thief, had always tried their hardest to stay out of trouble. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out what they could have done to earn themselves the wrath of a Thief – unless they had something he wanted. Again, Jonna had no idea what that could be. None of this made any sense.

Their guide suddenly turned into a side passage, and vanished around a bend. Jonna hurried after him, afraid that they'd be left alone in the darkness if she didn't hurry – but she needn't have worried, as the guide was currently rapping his knuckles against a plain-looking door.

Just as Ranel had caught up with them, the door opened, and a man built like a wardrobe stepped out, closing the door behind him. He eyed the guide before squinting his eyes at Jonna and her family.

"And who's that lot?", he rumbled.

"Jonna, Ranel and their wee brats here to see the boss, as ordered", the guide replied in a raspy voice.

"Good job. You made sure you weren't followed?"

"A had the entrance watched closely. If anyone followed us that far, he didn't see nothing after that."

"Good man."

The guide hesitated before asking, "D'you happen to know what's going on? Draggin' an entire family with a baby down here is not the boss' preferred method."

"No, I haven't the faintest idea. Lemme remind you that we're not here to ask questions – we're just supposed to do as we're told. The boss has been on edge lately. Don't go asking stupid questions if you know what's good for you."

"Right."

"Anyway, here." The giant tossed the guide a coin. "Back to work, now. Keep your eyes peeled."

"Yessir."

The tall man opened the door and ushered Jonna and Ranel inside.

"Go on straight to the room in the back, he's expecting you", he ordered.

Jonna gave him a curt nod, and forced her legs to move.

The room they had just stepped inside appeared to be something like a waiting area. There was another door on the far side of the room. Since she had her hands full, Jonna asked Ranel to open the door.

The room beyond was a strange, chaotic mess of furniture and other things. Nothing seemed to match, and the floor and walls were covered in a weird combination of tapestries, carpets and furs.

This Thief has terrible taste.

The Thief in question rose from his chair as they entered, and Jonna's jaw dropped when she recognised him.

"Jonna! Ranel! It's been a while!", he exclaimed with a bright grin.

"Cerinyi?", Jonna asked in disbelief. "You're one of the Thieves now?"

"Sure am", he replied cheerfully. "Welcome to my den."

Jonna wasn't sure how to feel about this. Cery – Cerinyi – had been one of Sonea's closest friends, part of the gang of kids she'd liked to hang out with, despite Jonna's disapproval. There had been rumours that Cery's father used to work for a Thief, and that Cery had inherited certain privileges. She knew that all the Thieves used animals as names, but had always assumed that those were fake names. Cerinyi, however, had been given this name by his father.

Almost as though he knew.

Still, friend of Sonea's or not, Jonna still had no idea what was going on here. She likewise didn't know if Cery and Sonea were still in contact with each other – she was pretty sure all those snobs in the Guild wouldn't approve if her niece met with a criminal.

Jonna herself wouldn't approve. The Thieves were dangerous.

Cery sobered, no doubt having noticed her rather unenthusiastic reaction.

"Right. You're probably wondering what this is all about", he said, rubbing his hands together.

She gave him a terse nod.

"Mind you, I don't know all the details – I'm working on a need-to-know basis – but there's been an incident. Don't worry, Sonea's fine, I just saw her a few days ago, and she used that opportunity to threaten me – but her guardian fears that, following that incident, Sonea may have become a target. Which means that, by extension, you might be in danger, too."

Jonna's mind reeled. This was not what she had expected.

"What kind of danger are we talking about, exactly?"

"I'm afraid I don't know. However, what I do know is that her guardian has been a little – tense after that incident. He's ordered Sonea confined to the Guild grounds, for her protection – see, as long as she's relatively close to him, he can to come to her rescue like a knight in shining armour. If he lets her out of his sight, she might be dead before he reaches her."

"Her guardian? That Rothen guy?"

"No, not him – Sonea's got a new guardian since a year ago or something – I don't keep up with all that Guild gossip, you know."

"I see. What exactly does this guardian do, anyway? I'm guessing he's not a legal guardian."

"No, not as far as I know. Guardians are more like mentors who take on the training of a novice – usually, this happens if a novice shows great potential, and a magician wants to nourish that potential – or if the novice is struggling, and needs extra help. In Sonea's case, I believe it was both."

"I see."

"Anyway, since that means that Sonea can't visit you, and he knows that you haven't seen each other in a while, he's asked me to arrange this meeting. Which is why I had to be so careful when I had you brought in – we can't let these people find out about your relation to Sonea. Her guardian has been a bit more forthcoming with information recently – apparently, these people are the worst. And I know you think of us Thieves as the lowest of the low."

"They're worse than th- the worst of the Thieves?"

"Far worse. They kill people for the fun of it, and more. They won't hesitate to hurt your children, either. You gotta keep away from them. Sonea'll probably be able to tell you more once she gets here."

"Sonea is coming?", Ranel asked, his eyes lighting up.

"I just said so earlier, didn't I? She can't go and visit you at your house, so I had you brought here instead."

Jonna and Ranel shared an excited grin. It had been too long since they'd seen their dearest niece.

"Oh, but where are my manners? Sit down, I'll get you something to drink while we wait! I got raka, bol, sumi and – feast your ears on this – Anuren dark. The best wine money can buy."

Jonna's jaw dropped, and Ranel sucked in a surprised breath.

"How'd you get your hands on that?", he asked in disbelief.

"Oh, Sonea's guardian is the best client I have", Cery chuckled. "He's hoarding that stuff by the bottle at home. Treated me to some the other day, even invited me to eat with him and Sonea – probably to keep her from chewing out him alone. Made me face her ire at the same time." He let out a rueful chuckle. "Anyway, I charge him for this – and asked him to pay me in a few bottles."

"Wait, let me get this straight", Jonna said, holding up a hand. "You – a Thief – got a deal with a magician?"

"Oh, not just any magician", Cery replied with a grin. "The High Lord himself."

"Get out!"

The young Thief let out a cackle. "Sonea's made her way up in the world, too, not just me."

He ushered them over to a few chairs, and Ranel lowered himself into one with a grunt.

"The leg again?", Cery asked softly.

"Aye. Today's especially bad."

"I bet Sonea could do something about that."

"I might ask her to."

"Great! Anyway, what can I get you two?"

"I'd like to try that wine", Ranel said, his eyes shining.

"I'll have some bol", Jonna added.

"Sure thing!"

He poured them both a drink.

"Is it safe for me to put Kerrel down?", Jonna asked.

"I think so. I removed all sharp objects. And we should have enough pairs of eyes between us to keep him out of trouble. Oh! That reminds me."

He leapt to his feet again as Jonna sat Kerrel on the floor. Cery dashed over to one of the counters lining the wall, and removed a small box. He skipped back over to them, and handed Jonna the box.

"Here you go! For the little ones. And no, I don't expect anything in return. You're Sonea's family. If it hadn't been for her, I'd have never got to where I am now."

Jonna opened the box to find a variety of sturdy-looking wooden toys inside. Ranel let out an appreciative hum.

"Thank you, Cerinyi", Jonna said softly.

"No rub."

Jonna offered the toys to Kerrel, and he picked out a small toy shaped like a gorin, making a happy sound.

She was about to sit down when the door was opened. A tall man stepped inside and stopped, taking in the room, which afforded Jonna the chance to study him.

She had a hard time placing his age. His cloak and shirt were shabby and of poor quality, and yet he carried himself in a manner that suggested that he was used to giving orders rather than receiving them. When he shifted his weight, the silhouette of something strapped to his belt underneath the shirt became visible, and Jonna realised that he was carrying a knife – not really an unusual thing, truly. Almost every Dwell, herself included, carried one – knives were useful tools, after all. Her gaze dropped to his boots, and she sucked in a sharp breath.

Magician!

Black eyes snapped to hers, and Jonna held her breath, paralysed by the intensity of that gaze. However, his attention soon shifted elsewhere, and Jonna reminded herself to breathe.

Cery, who had risen to his feet meanwhile, clicked his tongue.

"Really? This place is as safe as can be, I assure you."

"I'd rather be paranoid than dead, Cerinyi", the magician replied smoothly.

His voice was surprisingly deep.

Cery let out a huff.

The other man smirked, and strode into the room. Jonna watched, rather dumbfounded, as he grasped Cery's arm in greeting, like an equal.

"Thank you for doing this. It means a lot to her."

"You do realise I can hear you, right?", an annoyed voice sounded from the direction of the door.

Jonna tore her eyes away from the magician, and spotted Sonea standing in the door, an exasperated look on her face.

Just like the last time they had seen each other, she was wearing a cloak to cover her robes. It looked as though she had rolled around in the dirt while wearing it. Knowing her niece, this wasn't outside the realm of possibilities.

Cery let out a chuckle, while the magician looked amused.

"Sonea!", Jonna exclaimed, taking a step toward her.

"Aunt Jonna! Uncle Ranel!"

Sonea dashed across the room and threw herself into Jonna's waiting embrace. Once she'd been hugged enough for her liking, she bent down to kiss the crown of Ranel's head. He chuckled, and squeezed her hand in greeting.

"Oh! Is this my new cousin?", Sonea cooed when she noticed the baby.

"Indeed", Jonna chuckled. "Meet Hania. She's a good girl."

"High Lord, may I treat you to some of your excellent wine?", Cery was asking in the background.

"You may."

"That man is the High Lord?", Jonna whispered, wide-eyed.

"Yup. He wouldn't let me come here alone. Not that I would have managed that – I lack his 'connections'. He didn't tell me what this was about, either, only that he had a surprise for me."

Jonna remembered Cery's words from earlier, and grasped Sonea's hand.

"Cery said that you are in danger, and that we might be in danger, too", she whispered.

Sonea bit her lip. "Thing is, we don't know for sure. There is a risk that I might have become a target, and the High Lord is not willing to take any risks when it comes to my safety – or yours. The fact that you are my family, and in danger as a result of that, means that he wants to keep you safe, too."

Jonna was pretty much floored.

"What can we do?", Ranel asked. "How do we guard ourselves against this potential danger?"

"Well, we do know one thing: Those murderers you've told me about, they're the threat – they hunt for people with magical potential. Which is why the High Lord asked me to check if you have any, Jonna. If you don't, they won't target you because of that, which would make things a bit safer for you. That doesn't remove the possibility that they might come after you if they find out we're related, though. You're gonna have to be careful, no matter what. At least until we know for certain if I've become a target. There's a chance that the last murderer wasn't able to report back about me."

"I see. How do we find out if I have magic, then?"

"I just need to touch you. You can stay as you are."

"All right."

Sonea closed her eyes, her features relaxing. A moment later, she opened them again.

"You have a little bit of magic, but not nearly as much as I do. That makes you a potential target."

Jonna gulped. "Can you check Ranel and the children, too, just to be on the safe side?"

"Sure."

Ranel held out his hand to her, and Sonea repeated the same process from before.

"What's wrong with your leg?", she gasped moments later.

Ranel grimaced. "It's awfully stiff today, and painful."

"I don't think I can fix this, but I can make it better", Sonea replied, biting her lip.

"Do you think it could be fixed?", Jonna asked, feeling a small spark of hope.

"A Healer might be able to do that", Sonea replied. "I don't have knowledge about that sort of thing, not yet."

"I don't want to go to the Guild", Ranel replied in a quiet voice. "Even if I could afford it, I wouldn't feel comfortable there."

"I know", Sonea replied in a low voice. "I hate the fact that I can't do this myself. I can only treat your symptoms, not the cause."

"That's fine, Sonea", Ranel told her with a smile, reaching up to caress her cheek. "One day, you'll be a great Healer, and you'll be able to fix everything."

She let out a chuckle at that.

The next moment, Ranel's eyes widened. "No, wait, what are you – I was going to ask you to do that before we left!", he protested.

"Why?", Sonea asked with a frown.

"It's going to wear off eventually, isn't it. It'd have lasted longer that way."

Sonea let out a huff. "Uncle, I can just Heal you again. I've got plenty of magic to spare."

"Oh. Right."

"Now then, let me check if you got magic." Sonea was silent for a moment. "No magic", she declared before touching a finger to Hania's head. "She's got none, either."

Jonna allowed herself a small breath of relief. Sonea turned to look for Kerrel, and soon spotted him briskly crawling across the floor, the wooden toy still in hand.

"Adventurous, isn't he", Sonea chuckled.

She made her way over to him, and crouched down next to him.

"Hello, Kerrel, I'm your cousin, Sonea. You probably don't remember me, you were still very small when we met the last time."

Kerrel stared up at her out of big eyes. She smiled down at him, and reached out to tousle his hair. When he seemed to like that, she stilled, keeping her hand in place for a moment.

Jonna turned her head to look for the other two men, and found that they had settled down in a mismatched, but comfortable-looking pair of chairs at the far end of the room, and were chatting in low voices.

Sonea returned to Jonna's side.

"You're the only one who has magic", she told her. "What you can do to protect yourself is avoid places with a lot of people, and make sure that no strangers touch you – especially foreign-looking ones. You don't have to worry about people from the Allied Lands in that regard."

"So – those murderers are not from the Allied Lands?", Jonna concluded.

Sonea hesitated for a moment, her eyes flickering to her guardian, who wasn't paying them any heed.

"They're all from Sachaka. I can't tell you more than that, I'm afraid. But they're the ones you need to look out for. Still, better safe than sorry – if you're in doubt, try to keep away from anyone who looks fishy. As long as they can't touch your skin, they can't tell if you have magic."

"I see. Thanks."

"I wish I could do more. And I'm sorry that you might be in danger because of me."

Jonna bit her lip. "It doesn't sound very likely, does it?"

"They would have to find out that we are related first", Sonea replied. "As long as they don't find out, you should be safe."

"Well, life in the slums has never been 'safe', exactly. Still, it's better to know, and be prepared, than to be caught off-guard."

"I suppose."

Jonna glanced over at the High Lord and Cery, who were still chatting.

"These two seem to like each other", she observed.

"The High Lord saved Cery's life a couple of years ago", Sonea replied quietly. "Cery doesn't forget his debts. And eventually, Akkarin came to collect. But I agree with you, they do seem to like each other. I've only seen him banter with a handful of people – myself and his servant included."

"I see." Jonna paused for a moment. "Do you think – I could speak with him?"

"The High Lord? I don't think he'd mind, but – are you certain you want to? I know you're not comfortable around magicians, and even other magicians find him intimidating, even frightening."

"Are you frightened of him, Sonea?"

"No."

"Well, then. I shouldn't have anything to worry about in that case."

Sonea chuckled. "Uncle, why don't we go join Cery? We can chat for a bit, and you can tell me what you've been up to."

"Sure thing."

Sonea helped Ranel to his feet, and the two of them made their way over to Cery and Akkarin. Both men looked up as they approached, and Jonna could tell that Ranel tried his best to not seem intimidated by the High Lord.

"Cery, scram", Sonea ordered while holding out her free hand toward Akkarin.

Cery leapt out of his chair and helped Ranel sit down while Akkarin reached for Sonea's hand. His face gave nothing away, and Sonea's back was turned, meaning that Jonna couldn't see her expression. They stayed like that for a moment before Akkarin retracted his hand, and stood. Sonea immediately occupied the now empty chair, causing him to let out a chuckle.

Jonna turned to look for Kerrel, and spotted him in a corner, babbling to himself, still clutching that gorin toy. She repositioned herself so that she would be able to watch him out of the corner of her eye. When she looked up again, she found that Akkarin only stood a few paces away.

Jonna could understand why people found him intimidating. His height was one thing, but his dark eyes and expressionless face weren't helping, either. Still, she squared her shoulders, determined not to let this affect her.

Something flickered in his black eyes, and, much to her surprise, his mouth curled into a half-smile.

"I can see where Sonea got her spirit from", he said softly. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you – Sonea speaks fondly of you, and your husband."

Jonna blinked a few times, rather blind-sided by this.

"You do know that I'm not her mother, right?", she managed at last.

"I do. However, you were still someone Sonea could emulate, someone she could look up to. We aren't born with fully-formed personalities – only traits. We build our personalities as we grow, assuming and discarding traits as we see fit."

"Oh", Jonna replied. "That sounds logical."

"That being said, you can be very proud of you for having raised such a wonderful person – I don't think I've ever met anyone quite like Sonea."

"Uh – thanks?"

"I see you two are even similar in this regard", he observed, his smile widening.

"Um. If you say so. By the way, why were you two holding hands just now?", Jonna asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

The High Lord blinked, his facial expression shifting into one of utter confusion. Jonna was about to point out that neither of them had been subtle about it at all, but his reaction was strange – he didn't look like someone trying to deny something, or trying to come up with an excuse – he seemed to genuinely not understand what she was talking about.

The next moment, his eyes widened a fraction.

"Ah, I see now – it took me a while to figure out what you meant."

"How was my meaning unclear?"

"It wasn't. It was I who did not understand it correctly – did not understand why you assumed what you did. While we were, technically, holding hands, what we were doing was not 'holding hands' in the usual sense. Forgive me – I am so used to being around non-magicians who know enough about magic to understand what's going on that it didn't occur to me that you might not be able to.
"There are a few kinds of magic that require skin-to-skin contact, such as Healing, or anything that has to do with the mind. One of these skills is a special kind of mind-to-mind communication. Ordinarily, we can use it to speak with one another as though we were in the same room even over great distances – I once contacted our Guild Ambassador for Elyne, Lord Dannyl, while he was in Elyne. I'm not sure if there is a limit as to how far apart people can be. We call the name of the magician we want to speak to, and wait for a reply, similar to how you might want to try and catch the attention of someone on the other side of the room.
"The downside to that is that every other magician will hear you. While we are taught that it is impolite to listen to the conversations of others, there is nothing that can be done to prevent a magician from doing just that. I had a short mental conversation with Sonea this afternoon, and it drew a lot of attention. Though most magicians had the decency to stop listening right away.
"There is a method for us to communicate in a way that we cannot be overheard, but it requires physical touch. While this may seem impractical, there are situations where it might be better to do that than use words. I have established this ritual, if you will, where I will hold out my hand if I wish to communicate. Sonea does the same. The other is free to refuse, although neither of us has done that so far."

"Oh", Jonna replied, her eyes widening in understanding. "So, Sonea asked to speak with you, basically?"

"You could say that. Other magicians – or the servants working at the Guild – would not have misunderstood things as you have, although they may have wondered at our need for secrecy. Sonea and I prefer to be overly cautious. I would not like to have to explain to anyone why I was meeting her family in the dead of night."

"Got it. Er, sorry for jumping to conclusions like that."

"It's fine. There was no way you could have known what was happening."

Jonna considered what she'd just learned. The fact that they gave each other the chance to refuse the touch – and the conversation – pleased her. It was better than them just grabbing hold of each other.

"How is she doing? I ask her, of course, but I'm not sure if Sonea's been truthful with me. Trying to spare me, I'd imagine."

"She's adjusted to life at the Guild remarkably fast, has managed to acquire skills in a short span of time that others take years to master. She is clever, and studious. She scores good marks in almost all classes, and we are working on the ones where she is struggling. As her guardian, I am quite pleased with her overall performance. Something she still struggles to accept, I believe."

He blinked, and glanced down. Jonna followed his gaze, and almost had a heart-attack when she spotted Kerrel, who was currently pulling himself up into a standing position using Akkarin's leg as a support.

"Gah!", he said cheerfully.

Jonna died a little on the inside.

"I'm so sorry, let me – "

"It's quite all right. Children usually have no regard for how important someone may be."

Much to her surprise, he bent down, and scooped Kerrel into his arms.

"Hello", he said with a smile. "And who are you, hm?"

"Um, his name's Kerrel", Jonna supplied, not sure she understood what was happening.

The High Lord of the Magician's Guild was bouncing her son on his arm, like this was a perfectly normal thing for him to do.

"Hello, Kerrel. I'm Akkarin."

"Gah!"

"How long since he's last eaten?", Akkarin asked Jonna.

"Uh, about two hours, I guess?"

"I see. That should be fine, then. Please don't be alarmed."

Before Jonna had time to react, he tossed her son into the air, causing him to let out a squeal. Jonna felt her heart stop.

However, Akkarin caught Kerrel without fail, and tossed him one more time.

Kerrel's happy squealing caught the attention of the others, who turned to look at the High Lord with looks of varying degrees of surprise on their faces. Jonna exchanged a look with Sonea, who seemed completely flabbergasted.

She shrugged in a helpless way.

"Warn me properly next time", Jonna complained, pressing a hand to her heart.

"I wouldn't have dropped him. I've done this a lot."

"And how was I supposed to know that? Also, why do this? I can think of better ways to play with a child."

"It's supposed to be good for children's development."

"Really? I've never heard that before."

"My – one of the Healers told me. And asked me to test it at my earliest convenience. My siblings have a crowd of children between them, and they made excellent research partners."

"And they didn't mind?"

"The only person who minded was my mother, who wrote an angry letter to the Healer in question. My siblings were always grateful whenever I took their children off their hands. And, when you've got magic, you instantly become everyone's favourite uncle."

"I see."

Jonna didn't know anything about the High Lord at all, but based on what he'd just told her, it sounded as if he didn't have children of his own. Was he even married? Neither Cery nor Sonea had mentioned a wife. Either way, Jonna was fairly certain that he'd make a great father.

A short glance in the direction of the others told her that they'd gone back to their own conversation.

"What about you?", she asked cautiously. "Would you like to have a family, children, too, one day?"

His expression shuttered instantly. "My own desires and wishes do not matter. The only thing that matters is my duty to the Guild, and the safety of the Kyralian people. All of them."

"You seem very devoted", Jonna replied in a soft tone. "Just – promise me one thing: Please don't do anything stupidly heroic. My niece seems fond of you, and I'd hate it if she had to mourn you before your time."

His expression softened somewhat. "I have no intentions of dying", he assured her. "But I cannot make such a promise."

"That'll have to do, then."

Unfortunately, Kerrel had spotted Akkarin's ponytail, and made to grab it.

"Ah, no, don't do that, I don't like getting my hair pulled", Akkarin chided. "Look!"

A small ball of light appeared out of nowhere. While Jonna started, Kerrel's eyes lit up, and he tried to grab the ball. Akkarin chuckled as he kept it hovering just out of reach. The ball started changing colours, and Kerrel giggled with delight.

"How did you know that I was a magician?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You realised this almost as soon as I entered this room. I thought my disguise was pretty solid."

"It's the boots", Jonna replied. "I've never seen someone who wasn't a magician wear those."

"Ah", he said, glancing down. "Thank you for telling me – I'll have to rectify this."

"You're not supposed to wear ordinary clothing like this, are you."

"No, we are required by law to wear robes at all times. However, they are hardly inconspicuous when hunting murderers, and rather impractical, too."

"I see. I won't make a peep."

"Thank you. Now then, was there anything else you wanted to know?", Akkarin asked.

"No, you've quite satisfied my curiosity. Shall we rejoin the others?"

"Let's."

Akkarin headed directly for Sonea, and dumped Kerrel into her lap, much to Sonea's delight.

"Cerinyi, help me move those chairs", Akkarin ordered.

"Sure thing."

Once they had assembled enough chairs in a rough circle, Jonna, Akkarin and Cery sat down as well, and they spent the next half-hour or so talking. Sonea seemed happy, Jonna noted.

However, their time together was cut short unexpectedly when Sonea let out a huge yawn.

"We should head back before you get too tired", Akkarin said softly. "You'll have to walk on your own – I won't be able to use magic in front of Cerinyi's men."

"Right."

Sonea hugged Kerrel before handing him to Cery. She stood, and wrapped her arms around Jonna.

"It was lovely seeing you again, Aunt Jonna. Please take care."

"You, too. Don't do anything too dangerous."

"I'll try my best."

She went to hug Ranel next, as well as she could, anyway.

"Be safe, Sonea", he whispered.

"Take care, uncle."

She stepped back, a somewhat sad smile on her face. Akkarin had moved to the door, but paused to look back at Jonna and Ranel.

"I vow to do my utmost to keep Sonea safe", he promised, his gaze sincere.

"Thank you", Jonna replied.

"Put your hood up, Sonea."

"Oh, right."

Akkarin pulled his own hood over his head before opening the door. Sonea turned to wave one last time, then, she was gone.

Jonna watched her go, not quite sure what to feel – or think.

---

Trying to quell his racing thoughts, Lorlen entered the gardens, and started striding down the familiar path that led to the residence. He rounded a bend, and was surprised to see that someone else was headed in the same direction.

"Rothen!", he called, mostly out of surprise.

The older magician jumped, and turned to face him, eyes wide.

"Administrator! You startled me."

"Apologies – that was not my intention. Where are you headed?"

"I received an invitation – in written form – I am to come to the residence."

Lorlen felt chilled to the core. "So did I", he replied in a low voice. "Are you headed there early, by chance?"

"No, I intend to be on time, precisely."

"He wants to see both of us, then", Lorlen replied gravely.

Rothen sucked in a sharp breath. "But why? Do you think it has something to do with Sonea?"

"Either that, or he's angry at us for disobeying him the other day, when we were walking back from the Arena."

"Neither of us could have split off easily from the group when we were all headed in the same direction!", Rothen protested.

"Ah, but who knows if he sees things that way?"

"I wouldn't, Administrator."

"Their interactions have been strange lately – and yesterday, Akkarin took Sonea to the palace."

"What?", Rothen asked, surprised.

"I thought it was a trick, at first, but they really went there. Their carriage came back at around sundown. Although I haven't seen Sonea at all since. She usually spends her Freedays outside, or holed up somewhere inside the university. Have you seen her today?"

"No, I haven't, but I wasn't looking for her, either."

"Hm. I'm worried that Akkarin might have got into her head."

"Impossible", Rothen huffed. "I know her well. She'd never betray her values, ever. The only way I could see her joining Akkarin would be if he forced her to."

"But Sonea's behaviour has been strange, lately, and Akkarin's, too", Lorlen murmured. "Something is going on."

Rothen paused before hedging, "What about his servant?"

"Takan? What about him?"

"I've been wondering if – if he's Akkarin's prisoner."

Lorlen bit his lip. "I can see why you would think that. I'll admit that I've had that same thought. However – recently, I've remembered something – memories I'd buried deeply within my mind because they made me uncomfortable. Unbearably so. They have to do with Takan, and Akkarin. Rothen, do you remember when they arrived at the Guild, all those years ago?"

"Not really. I heard that Akkarin had returned, but was rather preoccupied with other things at the time."

"I see. Well, they were sent straight to the Healer's Quarters, where I was currently working as an apprentice Healer under Lady Vinara. Since I was Akkarin's friend, I was assigned to help with their care." He took a deep breath. "Takan wouldn't let us touch him. We tried everything we could, but he would only become more and more frightened, looking like he was on the verge of a panic attack. Akkarin – a shadow of his former self, severely emaciated – finally put his foot down and said that he would take Takan's vitals, asked me to tell him what to do. He then relayed the information to me.
"Akkarin was the only person Takan permitted to touch him. He was terrified of us all, men and women alike. I was close to tearing my hair out, but Akkarin never once lost his patience with him. He kept showing him, over and over, that our examination was safe, that we didn't hurt him. I'd never seen anyone be afraid of a Healer before, and the whole thing was completely mind-boggling."

Rothen seemed to agree, if his shocked expression was anything to go by.

"It took several days, but Takan finally allowed me to touch him after Akkarin had managed to get across that I was his friend, that he trusted me." He felt his throat close up at the memory, and the reminder that Akkarin no longer trusted him. "Takan was tense the entire time, and lapsed into a panic the moment I was done. Akkarin chased me from the room.
"About a week later, Takan spoke to me for the first time. His Kyralian was clumsy, and I gathered that Akkarin had been teaching him on their way to Imardin. He could understand us fairly well, but had troubles expressing himself."

"I'm told that's normal when learning a new language. Understanding is usually the first thing to come."

"I suppose. However, even though he was slowly feeling a little more at ease, Takan's overall demeanour remained subdued, and he was hesitant to interact with us. Now that I think about it, he showed clear signs of having been abused previously. And Akkarin was protective of him."

"Do you know how they met?"

"No. I was focused on making them healthy, physically, that is – because that was something I could do back then. All that mind-healing stuff was beyond me at the time. I only realised all these things in hindsight.
"One day, I walked in on them having a conversation – they rarely spoke with each other when anyone was around – and I remember Akkarin saying, 'I will not insist that you learn how to write, but you should know how to read so that if you let others do the writing for you, you will know that what they write down are your thoughts, and not theirs.'"

"That's – an inspiring quote, to be sure, and not something I'd have expected from him", Rothen admitted.

"I expect Akkarin eventually had his way, although his argument did make a lot of sense. I myself had never considered that, if you can't read or write, you'd have to trust that the people writing for you were not deceiving you.
"Eventually, Lady Vinara declared them healthy enough to leave, and Akkarin moved into the Magician's Quarters, taking Takan with him. Takan has been his servant ever since."

"I see", Rothen replied, mulling this over. "So – you think it more likely that Takan is going along with whatever dark plans Akkarin has out of a sense of obligation? Akkarin did take care of him, based on what you just told me."

"Yes – although we can't rule out to 100% that Akkarin might have manipulated Takan. It is also possible that Takan is in this for personal gain – although I have no idea what he's hoping to get out of this."

"I don't think we'll be able to get to the bottom of this by ourselves", Rothen murmured. "I know the High Lord too little, and Takan not at all."

Lorlen hummed in agreement, although it bothered him that he was no closer to understanding the strange relationship between Akkarin and Takan.

The residence loomed before them, the grey building managing to look both dull and imposing at the same time. Rothen took a deep breath.

"Have you ever been inside before?", Lorlen asked.

"No, I haven't."

"It's quite lovely. I don't know how many things Akkarin added or changed, but he seems to have good taste. At least where furniture is concerned."

Rothen let out an amused huff.

Squaring his shoulders, Lorlen approached the door, taking the lead. As always, the door opened at his touch, however, no dark figure rose from a chair to greet him. At first glance, the guestroom seemed empty.

The door closed behind them with a soft "click", and Rothen jumped. Then, a movement caught Lorlen's attention – a figure, shorter than than Akkarin, detached itself from the shadows.

Takan stepped into the light streaming in through the windows, and bowed.

"Welcome, Administrator Lorlen, Lord Rothen. The High Lord is expecting you upstairs."

"The library?", Lorlen asked for clarification.

"No, the sitting room."

"I see."

Lorlen regarded the man in front of him thoughtfully. This Takan was so different from the one in his memories, it was hard to believe they were the same person. While soft-spoken, Takan exuded a quiet kind of self-confidence, like he'd found something he'd been lacking. And the look in his eyes – they were clever, and alert. With a start, Lorlen realised that his subdued manner back then might have been an act to hide how intelligent he was. However, Lorlen couldn't tell if his intent had been to deceive people here a the Guild – or if this had been a means to deal with his abuser.

"Takan, do you know why the High Lord asked to see us?", Lorlen asked cautiously.

"I do. However, it is not my place to tell you."

Lorlen hadn't really expected an answer, but this did little to soothe his nerves. From the way Rothen was shifting his weight, Lorlen assumed that he felt much the same.

Takan blinked.

"It may help reassure you to know", he said in a softer tone, "that the winds are changing. I am hopeful that this will lead to a better outcome, for all of us."

The fact that Takan had caught on to their unease was alarming. And the fact that he thought that there could be a "better outcome" for all of them downright ridiculous.

"Takan, do you know what's going on here?", Lorlen asked in a low voice, just to be on the safe side.

"Of course", the servant replied calmly. "I know a lot more than you do, if I may be so bold, Administrator."

Lorlen gaped at him. Takan's eyes suddenly lost focus, and he all but stared into space for a few moments. Lorlen was about to ask him if he was all right – stupid Healer instincts – however, the next moment, Takan's gaze focussed on Lorlen again.

"The High Lord asks that you join him upstairs presently, as he fears for the continued existence of his favourite carpet."

"Right", Lorlen replied, somewhat dumbly.

He gave Takan a nod – mostly out of habit, he found the man rather unnerving right now – and headed for the left-hand staircase, as it would get them closer to their destination. The inside of the stairwell was dark, as usual, and Lorlen created a globe-light.

"What was that all about?", Rothen asked in a whisper as they started ascending the stairs.

"I haven't the faintest idea."

When Lorlen stepped into the corridor, he stopped, surprised.

"Well, this is new."

"What's wrong?", Rothen asked.

"Nothing's wrong, but – this carpet wasn't here when I came by a week ago. I've never seen it before, in fact."

"What did the old one look like?"

"It was brown and red, with a geometric pattern. Not ideal for a windowless hallway. Akkarin must have got rid of it sometime before I dropped by – it was already gone last week."

The new carpet was of a bright spring green, and the pattern showed vines and flowers. It was much nicer than the old one.

Ahead, Lorlen could see the door to the sitting room, which was ajar. A voice came drifting out of the room.

"Would you please stop? If you keep this up, you will either wear a trench into the floor, or cause the carpet to catch fire. I cannot say which would irritate me more", Akkarin chided.

Lorlen raised a brow, and gave Rothen a confused look. He hadn't been aware that someone else was going to be there – however, Rothen looked just as clueless.

They had missed whatever had been said in reply. Feeling curious despite himself, Lorlen made his way over to the door, and entered.

Akkarin had moved the furniture again, it seemed. The two armchairs were positioned in front of the fireplace, while the divan had been moved closer to the windows. Akkarin was sitting in one of the armchairs, and behind him was Sonea – the person Akkarin must have admonished earlier. She was pacing to and fro at a rapid pace, and Lorlen suddenly understood why Akkarin was worried about his carpet.

She stopped abruptly when she spotted them, her pinched expression brightening a bit. Somewhat belatedly, Lorlen noticed that she had stopped behind Akkarin, and they were now positioned like a couple posing for their portrait.

What a ridiculous notion.

It had been a coincidence, nothing more.

"Rothen!", Sonea exclaimed the moment he'd stepped inside.

She practically launched herself across the room, and threw her arms around her "father". Lorlen smiled at her enthusiastic greeting, while Rothen let out an "oof", not having expected her to tackle him. As they exchanged greetings, Lorlen cast a quick glance in Akkarin's direction, not sure how he would react to Sonea's behaviour – to find that the High Lord was very pointedly not looking at them.

Lorlen frowned. Something in his expression was off.

However, before he could even begin to analyse what he was seeing, Sonea stepped away from Rothen, and turned to face Lorlen.

"Sorry, Administrator, I didn't mean to ignore you or anything."

Lorlen decided not to chide her for the fact that she hadn't greeted him first – he outranked Rothen by quite a bit, after all – as she'd been so happy to see her former mentor. Instead, he gave her a smile.

"I'm not offended."

"I hope you haven't been overworking yourself again", she said, fixing him with a critical stare.

"I try not to", he replied with a wry smile. "And how have you been, Sonea?"

"Well."

"Well, she says", Akkarin huffed, covering his face with one hand.

"I'm still alive, aren't I?", Sonea asked, turning around to face him.

Lorlen's eyebrows rose. Rothen's knees buckled.

"What?", he yelped, colour draining from his face.

Sonea spun around, an alarmed look on her face. Lorlen grabbed Rothen's arm to keep him upright – he'd gone frightfully pale – and the next moment, he noticed that the empty armchair was moving toward them at high speed – then slowed down as it positioned itself behind Rothen. Lorlen helped him sit down before casting a quick glance in Sonea's direction. Judging from the rather surprised look on her face, Lorlen deduced that she hadn't been the one to move the chair.

Akkarin hadn't moved at all, but his gaze had sharpened. Then, his attention shifted to his novice.

"Sonea, that was a rather thoughtless thing to say", he scolded. "I know this is your way of dealing with what has happened, and, as far as coping mechanisms are concerned, this is a good one. However, you have to be aware how this sounds to people who weren't there, who don't know what happened. Rothen does care about you, you know."

"I'm sorry", Sonea whispered, looking contrite. "Rothen, are you all right?"

"I'll live", the old magician wheezed.

"I suggest you leave the talking to me for now, before Rothen suffers a heart-attack", Akkarin said in a softer tone.

"Right", Sonea replied. "Shutting up now."

She turned away, hands clasped behind her back in a manner that reminded Lorlen of Akkarin, and went to stand behind his chair.

"Akkarin, I do hope you have an explanation for this!", Lorlen demanded in the most authoritative voice he could muster.

"Certainly", the High Lord replied in this infuriatingly calm manner of his. "However, before I satisfy your curiosity, let me make one thing perfectly clear: The only reason the two of you are here is because Sonea wouldn't stop nagging – and she had a few compelling points to make."

He sounded mildly annoyed. Behind his back, Sonea grinned at them, looking wholly unrepentant.

"Wait", Rothen said, rousing himself a little. "Did you say 'coping mechanism' earlier, High Lord? Why would Sonea develop one of these?"

He sounded alarmed. Worried.

Lorlen shared these sentiments. Coping mechanisms were usually the result of trauma.

The smile had vanished from Sonea's face.

"There has been – an incident. A week ago, an assassin broke into the residence. His objective was to kill me – however, his first target was Sonea. He broke into her room, drained her almost completely of her magic, and then proceeded to use her as a hostage, which put me at a severe disadvantage. I couldn't attack the assassin without hurting Sonea. Thankfully, with a bit of teamwork between myself and Takan, we managed to create a diversion, and Sonea, who still had her wits about herself even though she was on the brink of unconsciousness, managed to free herself. Once she was out of harm's way, I took out the assassin."

"What did you do to him?", Lorlen asked, feeling a chill stealing over him.

"First, I tore his mind to shreds – made him regret the decision to involve Sonea in this. Once I had taken all the useful information from him, I killed him."

Sonea shot Akkarin an unreadable look.

"Did you see that happen?", Rothen asked her, his voice quavering.

"No", Sonea replied in a quiet voice. "I fainted almost immediately after making it to Akkarin's side. The last thing I remember is hearing him promise the intruder that he was going to die, now."

Lorlen gaped at her. She had just casually called Akkarin by his name – and he'd let it slide. Something was very wrong here.

"Why didn't you hand him over to the Guild, this supposed assassin?", Lorlen demanded.

"In case you missed it, I will spell it out for you: That man was a black magician. Keeping a regular magician imprisoned is already difficult enough, but keeping someone alive who only needs access to a knife to regain lost strength is far too risky. Not to mention that this man knew I was capable of using black magic myself – which is why he went after Sonea. He figured that, with her strength added to his, and by using her as a shield, that he'd stand a better chance – that he'd succeed where every single one that came before him had failed. If I'd handed him over to the Guild, he would have revealed that I have killed using black magic before."

Lorlen stared at Akkarin in horror. So far, he'd only suspected that Akkarin may have done that, had suspected him of preying on the people in the slums. The fact that Akkarin had no qualms about admitting this to him – and Rothen – was unsettling.

"There are other black magicians?", Rothen asked in horror.

"Of course", Akkarin replied. "What, did you think I was the only one?"

"Impossible", Lorlen said. "Black magic is outlawed in all the Allied Lands. You can't honestly expect us to believe that you have been fighting off several 'assassins' using black magic."

"What are you implying?", Akkarin asked in a dangerous voice.

"You're trying to fool us, trying to justify your actions! I'll not buy such an outlandish story even for a second!"

"Why would I make up a story like that?", Akkarin growled, surging to his feet. "Do you honestly think I wouldn't be able to come up with something more believable if I tried?"

Behind him, Sonea shifted, her facial expression changing into one of alarm.

"Do you have any proof to offer? Anything to support your claim? The way I see it, you expect me to take you at your word. Forgive me, but I find that hard."

"Ah, yes, because who in his right mind would trust a friend, am I right, Lorlen?"

"That's enough, both of you!", Sonea called. "Calm down, or one of you is going to do something stupid he'll regret later!"

Lorlen was so taken aback by the commanding tone in her voice, he felt it prudent to comply. Sonea started forward, and moved to stand next to Akkarin, close enough to touch.

"I know you're upset, and angry, but you won't be able to solve anything by listening to those emotions", she told Akkarin softly.

Akkarin deflated slightly, broke eye contact with Lorlen, and turned his head to look at her.

"I told you", he said in a quiet voice. "I told you it was pointless. That he'd never believe me."

"All's not over yet", Sonea replied, sounding as if she were trying to rally him. "We still have one last move to make – and I'm willing to do it."

Lorlen's relief over the fact that Sonea had somehow managed to calm Akkarin evaporated when he realised that he still had no idea what was going on here. Their behaviour was becoming more and more bizarre by the minute.

"Are you certain, Sonea?", Akkarin asked, turning to face her. "I know we discussed this, but – it's only been a week. You can't have processed everything yet. Do you understand the risk you're taking?"

"Yes, I do. I don't want to do this, but we're out of options – Akkarin, you know the stakes as well as I do." Her voice suddenly took on a despairing note, and next to Lorlen, Rothen shifted in his chair in an uneasy manner. "I'm barely twenty years old. Twenty is too young to die – I still have so much left that I want to do, that I want to see. If this is what it takes to hopefully be awarded this chance, then I'll do it."

Lorlen blinked, confused. What was Sonea talking about? The only danger to her – the Guild – was Akkarin. This didn't make any sense.

Although – maybe she had allied herself with him? In that case, this would make the Guild a threat to her life, depending on how deeply involved she was.

"You seem determined to see this through", Akkarin replied in a soft voice. "Very well. I will say no more."

"Truth be told – I'm scared", Sonea admitted, her voice quavering. "I – I don't know what'll happen to me, but I have to – I want us all to have a future, and that future is currently at stake!"

"Most people think that being brave means that you're not afraid of anything. They're wrong. Being brave means being scared, and doing it anyway. Don't worry – you're not alone. I'll be right behind you the entire time, and, once it is over, I'll help you deal with the fallout, if you want me to."

"Thank you."

"Sonea!", Rothen exclaimed. "What's going on here? Who is threatening you?"

Instead of answering, Sonea took a deep breath, and turned to face them, her expression shuttering. Akkarin moved to stand behind her. Lorlen suddenly felt afraid.

Sonea's entire body was tense, like a taut wire about to snap. When she moved forward, Akkarin followed a step behind.

"I don't want to do this, I really don't, but you're forcing my hand", she said in a quiet voice. "I need you to understand, I need you to stop trying to undermine Akkarin because I don't want to die." She took a shuddering breath. "I will show you my memories of the attack, as well as the conversation that followed – conversations with Akkarin, Takan and you, Administrator."

"Takan and I have given Sonea express permission to share everything she has learned from us", Akkarin added in a quiet voice. "However, I ask that you do not bother Sonea with questions while she shows you these things – should anything remain unclear at the end, you may ask me afterwards."

Lorlen's thoughts raced. Sonea would not be offering to do this if she didn't have anything worth sharing. Of course, there was a chance that Akkarin had somehow deceived her, but they had mentioned a coping mechanism before. Faking trauma was hard, especially when mind-reading was involved.

He exchanged a glance with Rothen, who looked worried.

Sonea is the one behind this. She wanted us here if Akkarin's words are to be believed. This is her move.

"I want you to view those memories at the same time – I will not have Sonea go through all that twice", Akkarin continued.

"Is that even possible?", Rothen asked.

"It is. However, it will require a great deal of concentration and co-operation on all sides. And Sonea, you need to relax. You're too tense."

Sonea let out a huff, but took a few deep breaths, the tension slowly ebbing from her body.

"Rothen, can you stand?", Akkarin asked.

"I think so."

Rothen slowly rose to his feet, and took a few hesitant steps in Sonea's direction. She gave him an encouraging smile.

"If you don't think you're up to this, we can sit down", she suggested.

"No, I'll be fine. I'm feeling much better now. You just gave me quite the fright, earlier."

"Sorry about that", she replied with a grimace.

Lorlen felt completely and utterly lost.

"Are you three ready to begin?", Akkarin asked.

He received three halting nods in return. It seemed that none of them were eager to do this.

"Very well. Sonea, hold out your hands. Lorlen, Rothen, place one hand on Sonea's temples each, the other one in her hand. Do not touch her lower arms."

"Why?", Rothen asked with a frown.

"Trigger", Akkarin replied curtly.

Lorlen gasped. Sonea grimaced.

"Go on", she said softly when neither Rothen nor Lorlen moved. "I promise I won't bite."

Rothen managed a small laugh at that, and reached out. Following his example, Lorlen cautiously placed his right hand on her head, his left hand in hers. Sonea gave them one last encouraging smile. The next moment, Lorlen found himself inside the room that represented his mind.

Taking a fortifying breath, he went outside, and soon spotted Rothen. Across the street stood a house – very different from Rothen and Lorlen's mansions. It was shabby and run-down. They approached the door, and Sonea appeared to let them inside.

Her room looked just like Lorlen remembered, and the sense of her personality seemed unchanged. Lorlen realised one thing in this instant – Akkarin had not corrupted her. She was still herself.

"There are a few things I need to tell you before we begin", Sonea said. "Some of the things you are about to see will be deeply upsetting for you, and I imagine that certain parts will affect you differently. If, at any point, you feel that you need a break, please let me know.
"Some of the things I'm about to show you are deeply personal matters that concern Akkarin and Takan. While Takan seems to be able to deal with everything fairly well, at least as far as I can tell, Akkarin struggles. He had a hard time opening up to me – a Dwell, the lowest of the low – and I was the first person he's ever shared any of that with. You can probably imagine how he'd feel at the thought of having to share this with you, his peers. I'm not sure he could bring himself to do that."

Lorlen and Rothen exchanged another worried glance.

"Sonea, please just tell me one thing before we get started", Rothen begged. "He hasn't – done anything to you?"

"No, Rothen, I assure you he hasn't. On the contrary – he saved my life. If it weren't for him, I would have died last week. Heh, I was expecting to die. But, as you can see, I didn't. Which is good. I like being alive."

"I – see."

"Any questions from you, Administrator?"

"Not at present, no. But – is he actually willing to answer our questions? When I asked him why he was doing this – using black magic – he told me he couldn't tell me."

"He answered mine. And I had lots. The only reason he's been so tight-lipped about everything is because he couldn't prove anything. That assassin last week? He provided that. He was trying to kill Akkarin – but he may have made him stronger, instead, in a way."

"Because he has you, now", Rothen said quietly.

"Yes", Sonea replied. "His interference, if you will, turned my life upside-down. If he hadn't decided that taking me hostage to blackmail the man who was holding me hostage was a good idea, I'd still be busy cheerfully hating Akkarin."

"This is all very confusing, and I don't know what to think", Lorlen admitted.

"Then let me lay your worries to rest. Let me show you what happened."

"Very well."

"I'm ready, as well", Rothen added.

"Excellent."

A painting appeared on the wall behind her, and grew in size until it took up the entire wall. Sonea moved to stand next to them, and turned around to face the painting.

Lorlen blinked, closed his eyes, next, he tried squinting at the painting. No matter what he tried, what he was seeing didn't make sense to him.

"Sonea, what is this?", Rothen asked, sounding just as confused as Lorlen felt.

"The nothingness of sleep", she replied. "I was in bed when that assassin broke into my room."

Sonea proceeded to show them everything that had happened that night, shared with them her confusion, fear and terror. Her ability to remain focussed even when faced with mortal danger was impressive, and Lorlen could see why Akkarin thought that she'd make a great warrior.

Akkarin's reactions to the night's events were strange – the amount of anger, no, outright fury he displayed toward the intruder was not what one would expect from a man worried that he might lose his hostage. Sonea herself didn't think his reactions strange, but then again, she had only known him for a short time, unlike Lorlen.

Similarly, the care Akkarin showed Sonea once she woke up again, exhausted and weak, was strange as well. He went out of his way to make sure that she was comfortable, and respected her boundaries as much as possible, given the situation.

Lorlen noted with interest that Akkarin made a point of keeping his gaze fixed on her face, another thing Sonea didn't pick up on.

Lorlen gleaned interesting bits of information concerning the relationship between Takan and Akkarin, including the fact that Takan would die for the man he kept referring to as "master". Sonea explained that this was a deeply ingrained habit, and that Takan had taken less care to moderate his speech around her lately.

Lorlen found out what had happened to the ugly carpet in the hall.

Akkarin and Takan also mentioned little bits that Lorlen filed away, information concerning their past, and black magic. The fact that most black magicians apparently used slaves as power sources shocked both Rothen and Lorlen.

Akkarin's composure began to crack when he asked Sonea to stay away from the slums, and her family, until he could be certain that Sonea herself had not become a target, growing frantic at the thought of what might happen if she led "them" to her family. He extracted a mental promise from Sonea to do as he asked. When she joked that he could just lock her up, his reaction was visceral. With no small amount of shock, Lorlen realised that Akkarin didn't just regret what he'd done to them – no, he hated himself for it. When Sonea tried to apologise, he immediately shot her down by saying that he deserved it.

Sonea was hesitant to go back into her room, and Akkarin went in first to show her it was safe. It took her a lot of willpower, but she managed to join him. Akkarin then revealed that both he and Takan had suffered trauma, and could help her cope with it, suggesting that Takan would be more than willing to.

And then, much to Lorlen's horror, Akkarin fell apart, collapsing to his knees in front of the woman he had terrorised for over a year. Not all of his words made sense to Lorlen, but he mentioned a wasteland – the one in Sachaka? – wishing that he had died there so that she wouldn't have to suffer because of him, before calling himself a failure, and mentioning a woman who had been killed in front of him, with him unable to do anything to prevent it.

This bit of information sent Lorlen's mind spinning. How on earth had Akkarin got into a situation where he'd been unable to prevent someone else's death? He was the strongest magician the Guild had ever seen.

Sonea grew more and more alarmed as she watched him spiral out of control, and, when he started scratching at his lower arms, she tried to interfere.

The Sonea next to them made a distressed sound, her face pale.

"This is – a very severe form of trauma", Lorlen whispered.

Sonea gave a curt nod. "What happened that night seems to have ripped open old wounds. He's still struggling with the aftermath, a week later. He's grown protective of me to the point of paranoia – won't let me stray too far away from him out of fear that he might not make it in time if something were to happen. It's one of the reasons he took me to the palace with him yesterday."

Lorlen was stunned. He watched as the Sonea in the memory proceeded to calm Akkarin before offering him comfort, and encouragement. He was confused by her behaviour, and pointed out that she was too nice, even to people who didn't deserve it, including himself in that statement.

When Sonea voiced her suspicion that Akkarin could communicate with Takan mind-to-mind, Akkarin admitted to that, but asked her to postpone that conversation.

"I didn't know something like that was possible", Lorlen said with a frown.

"It is", Sonea replied, giving him an odd look.

She gave them a moment to digest everything they had learned. The fact that Akkarin was traumatised had come as a shock – Lorlen would have never guessed. Rothen seemed unsettled by these things as well.

And, of course, Lorlen was worried about how Sonea would deal with the aftermath of this attack. She'd had her bedroom – the only place she'd felt safe in inside Akkarin's home – invaded, had been taken hostage, had almost all of her magic drained, and then fainted from exhaustion.

Lorlen noticed a few things that Sonea had missed, even in hindsight, and Akkarin's behaviour toward her had certainly been odd. The amount of care and protectiveness he had displayed toward his hostage was confusing.

However, he decided to keep those observations to himself for now – it wouldn't do to send Sonea into a panic, especially since Lorlen couldn't be certain, not yet.

Sonea proceeded to show them the events of the following day. Akkarin waylaid her first thing when she wanted to leave for classes, and insisted that she stay at the residence, as her magic level was still too low for his liking. They took dawnfeast together – a first, apparently – and Akkarin surprised Sonea by selecting some of her favourite foods for her, and by mostly leaving her to her own devices, which she noted as unusual.

"Do you often take meals together?", Rothen asked.

"We used to have one evening meal per week together, on Firstdays", Sonea explained. "Recently, I've been eating with him more often."

Rothen frowned, but didn't press the issue.

Sonea had grown a little more bold around Akkarin, and had picked up on the fact that he had shown her a mask instead of his real self. That morning, he was less guarded around her than before.

After Akkarin dismissed her, Sonea went outside and decided to work through everything she had learned so far, cross-referencing the new information with other things she'd known. She'd figured out that Akkarin wasn't the murderer haunting the slums, and now began to suspect that the assassin – a black magician – might have done the murdering instead. She also figured that, if there were more black magicians in Sachaka – a frightening thought – that this would explain why he needed Takan's power.

When Takan came to bring her food, Sonea seized the opportunity to question him. She had already suspected it, and wasn't terribly surprised – though still horrified – when Takan confirmed that he'd been a slave before coming to the Guild, and telling Sonea that in Sachaka, one was either a magician, or a slave.

Lorlen and Rothen exchanged a horrified look.

Takan also explained that he would be free to leave the Guild, if he wanted to, but that it would be hard for him to start over again on his own, that he felt obliged to stay with Akkarin – and that without him, the High Lord would die.

Sonea refused to dwell on that.

Takan furthermore confirmed her suspicion that Akkarin was only acting tough, and that he always turned into an oversized mother rassook when worried. Lorlen found that rater hilarious.

Moments later, Akkarin appeared at a window upstairs and demanded that Takan come help him re-arrange the furniture. This time, Lorlen actually laughed.

Sonea looked amused.

Lorlen didn't pay much attention to the conversation he'd had with her, although, knowing what he did now, some things now appeared in a different light.

Sonea then proceeded to lay in wait in the library, waiting for Lorlen to leave, so she could get answers from Akkarin.

Akkarin was surprised to see her, and explained that he'd wanted to give her time to process everything first. However, he acquiesced to her wish to have this conversation straight away.

Sonea obviously skipped part of the conversation, assuring them that they'd discussed trivial and unrelated matters, like her lack of self-confidence. The image blurred into focus when Sonea asked Akkarin how he was able to communicate with Takan.

Lorlen watched with growing horror as Akkarin began to explain a thing called a "Blood Gem", realising this was the same gem Akkarin had forced him to wear. Apparently, the murderers haunting the slums used such gems to remain in contact with the people who had sent them – a group known as the Ichani. Akkarin explained that Takan had one of his gems, and that this had been how he'd managed to wake Takan the previous night.

Lorlen was horrified. He'd been thinking Akkarin cared about Takan – how could he do something like this?

Even more disturbing was Sonea's interest in the matter – she actually asked why these gems weren't commonly used. Akkarin explained that the knowledge had been deemed too dangerous, and had been buried as a result. And then, the next moment, she made the mental leap and realised that Lorlen had such a gem, as well – and figured out what that meant. She practically begged Akkarin to refute her words, but he didn't – instead, he readily admitted that he'd forced the gem onto Lorlen to keep him quiet.

Rothen made an angry exclamation. Sonea showed no reaction.

Akkarin proceeded to point out that Lorlen had condemned him on the spot without even caring to hear his side of the story, before asking if Sonea knew the punishment for practising black magic. Suddenly, Lorlen felt a sense of dread.

Sonea froze the memory, and turned to face Rothen.

"Do you know the answer to that question?", she asked in a quiet voice.

"I don't", he replied, looking unnerved. "I imagine it to be something severe, like expulsion."

The corner of Sonea's mouth twitched, as though she was fighting the urge to grimace.

"Wrong." Then, she turned to face Lorlen. "You", she said, and there was so much fury in that single word, Lorlen took a step backwards. "You knew. And you condemned your friend without bothering to hear his side! Even the Thieves will give a traitor the chance to speak, to explain himself, before they mete out the punishment. You have proven to possess less honour than a Thief."

"Sonea, you have to understand – I was terrified of him – "

"Your own friend? Really? If I found out that Cery was going around murdering people, I'd take him aside and ask him why he was doing that because I know him, and he's neither power-hungry nor a psychopath! I'd assume that he'd have a reason for doing this, that I was missing information, or that those people had done something to deserve it. But not you. No, you were fare more willing to condemn your own friend to death!"

Rothen paled, and cast a shocked glance in Lorlen's direction.

"You'll regret that decision before we're through, I promise you that", Sonea added.

Lorlen felt sick.

The memory resumed playing, and Akkarin echoed Sonea's words, explaining that seeking to learn black magic alone would get one expelled. When Sonea asked whether Akkarin really thought that Lorlen would dare risk her safety, Akkarin revealed, to Lorlen's absolute horror, that he would have sacrificed her and Rothen if he'd thought he'd win that way. Sonea initially refused to believe this until Akkarin explained that Lorlen was thinking as a leader, and that he, himself, would act the same way. The only difference was that Lorlen didn't know the true enemy, and would hasten the destruction of the Guild if he removed Akkarin from the picture.

This time, Rothen turned on Lorlen in anger, hurt and betrayal rolling off him in waves. He was surprised – but eternally grateful – when Sonea stepped between them.

"Rothen, calm down. You can settle this later if you want to. The worst is yet to come, and I can't waste strength on keeping you two from fighting each other inside my mind."

"Very well", Rothen replied in a tight voice.

They watched in silence as Akkarin proceeded to explain who the Ichani were, and that they were hatching a plot to invade Kyralia, and destroy the Guild, as revenge for the Sachakan War. Sonea was surprised to hear this, and argued that the Higher Magicians ought to be aware of the danger. Akkarin replied that they weren't – reminding her that Lorlen thought of him as the enemy. Sonea pointed out that he hadn't exactly done much to convince him otherwise, for which Lorlen was grateful.

Akkarin expressed a willingness to tell her what he hadn't told Lorlen, lacking the evidence to convince him. Sonea pointed out that it seemed very convenient that Akkarin, the only black magician around, was also the only one aware of this supposed threat.

Instead of answering right away, Akkarin had her summarise what she knew of the Sachakan War, and what she'd gleaned from the two assassins who had broken into the residence. Eventually, this led her to remember something Takan had said the previous night, and horror filled her as she realised the implications of that statement. Takan had not spoken just about himself.

Again, she shied away from the realisation that was hovering just out of reach, trying her best to keep her thoughts buried, worried that they might burden Akkarin – whose trauma had to come from somewhere.

Akkarin showed another visceral reaction when Sonea mentioned that the assassin had referred to Akkarin as "her master", his face shifting into a look of fury so intense, Sonea grew afraid of him, even though she wasn't the target. Akkarin apologised for unsettling her, and his lapse in control.

Once Sonea was finished with her summary, she deduced that the intruder had assumed that she was Akkarin's slave, that at least some Sachakan magicians were capable of using black magic, and that they used their slaves as power sources. Akkarin confirmed all of this to be correct.

Rothen made a shocked exclamation. Lorlen's eyes widened.

"Sonea, is this true?", he asked her.

"As far as I can tell, yes", she replied in a quiet voice. "I have no reason to assume that Akkarin made any of this up. And, well, he has proof, too."

The memory continued playing, and Akkarin proceeded to fill in the gaps in Sonea's knowledge – which were, apparently, massive. Not that Lorlen or Rothen were off any better – Loren had never heard of the things that Akkarin now revealed to Sonea – how black magic had been commonly used in Kyralia before it had been banned. He mentioned having written evidence of this, too.

Lorlen and Rothen exchanged another horrified glance. The Sonea in the memory seemed to share this sentiment, and Akkarin explained to her that black magic in itself was not evil – but the potential for abuse was great. He also pointed out that the Guild would have never won the Sachakan War if the magicians at the time had been unable to use black magic.

However, the tale of the events that had led up to black magic being ultimately banned was harrowing, and Lorlen agreed with Sonea that the thought that one single man had almost destroyed the Guild by himself was horrifying. Lorlen could wholeheartedly understand why this kind of magic had been banned – although he was surprised to learn that, apparently, knowledge of it had been preserved in some form.

Sonea asked why the Sachakans hadn't taken advantage of the fact that the Guild had almost destroyed itself, and the atmosphere changed suddenly when Akkarin explained that they had been unaware of the ban on black magic until recently. The Sonea next to them grew tense, a pained expression on her face.

"I'm not looking forward to this part", she whispered. "Can we take a break?"

"Certainly", Lorlen replied.

"How are you holding up?", Rothen asked her gently.

"It's not so bad, really. Talking about this helps. Sharing it with others. And I've realised that it helps me if I confront things that hurt me, once, to replace them with better things. Which is why I let Akkarin read my mind yesterday."

"You did what?", Rothen exclaimed in shock. "Sonea! He hurt you, that time!"

"Tell me something I don't know!", she shot back. "I just told you – I wanted that memory gone."

"But, why?", Lorlen asked. "Did he – ask to read your mind?"

"Not – really. It was his idea, yes, but it made him uncomfortable to the point he wouldn't even come out with it, I had to prompt him. I – I suppose I could show you that memory."

"Did Akkarin give you permission to do this?"

"No", she admitted. "I guess I should ask him first. Wait – I have an idea." She frowned as though she were concentrating hard. "Akkarin?", she called.

Moments later, he simply materialised inside her mind, causing Rothen to let out a shout, and Lorlen to jump. Thankfully, Akkarin ignored them, and focused his attention solely on Sonea.

"Sonea, is something the matter?"

"No, I was just wondering – may I show them the memory from yesterday, when I let you read my mind?"

Akkarin frowned as he mulled this over. "I don't mind. Just keep the things you discussed with the King to yourself. Everything else is fine."

"All right. Thank you."

He gave her a curt nod, and vanished.

"I didn't know he could do that", Rothen whispered.

"Neither did I, but I didn't want to disconnect from you two", Sonea replied. "Look, over there."

A new painting had appeared, showing Akkarin and Sonea inside a Guild carriage, sitting opposite one another.

"I was treated to a surprise audience yesterday", Sonea explained. "I obviously hadn't been prepared for that, and was terribly worried that I might have messed up. Akkarin didn't know why the King had wanted to speak with me, and we tried to figure it out with not much success."

The painting grew, and the people inside started moving. Akkarin explained how the King was so careful with his thoughts when Akkarin was around, he'd been unable to find out why he wanted to speak with Sonea. He then stilled, looking distinctively uncomfortable. Sonea noticed, and prompted him to speak. He told her that he'd had a stupid idea, and refused to elaborate. Sonea chided him for that, telling him that, at the very least, he should let her make up her mind about it. She eventually had her way, and he explained, haltingly, that the best way for him to figure out the King's motive would be for him to read her mind.

Sonea's initial reaction to that was one of extreme discomfort as she remembered the last time Akkarin had read her mind. However, despite that, she was willing to give it a try, explaining that she wanted to replace her existing memory with a better one, and pointing out that her fighting him had resulted in the whole experience being so unpleasant for her. She made two stipulations – that Akkarin only view the memory of her conversation with the King, and that he'd stop if she asked him to. Akkarin gave her his word.

After drawing the curtains shut, Sonea moved to sit next to Akkarin. However, even with her in reach, and having expressed her willingness to do this, Akkarin still refused to touch her.

The look on his face when Sonea encouraged him, and said that she trusted him, broke something within Lorlen, as did her smile when Akkarin promised not to hurt her.

The memory cut off immediately after that, and resumed playing when they opened their eyes again. Akkarin had leaned in closer, probably subconsciously – Lorlen didn't know if he could move while in that state. Akkarin thanked her for the trust she'd shown him. When Sonea made a somewhat ineloquent reply, she noticed, much to her confusion, that she'd started to cry at one point during the mind-reading. Rothen made an alarmed sound, however, before he could voice the suspicion no doubt on his mind, Akkarin guessed that this had been caused when he'd told her that he would defend her against slander, which had deeply moved her.

"Oh", said Rothen. "I thought – never mind."

Sonea let out a huff. "Rothen, I think he'd sooner cut off his own hand than harm me."

While Sonea dried her tears, Akkarin inquired after her mental well-being. She told him that it seemed to have worked as intended, and thanked him for going along with this, as she knew that he had issues with what had happened between them. Akkarin called that an understatement, openly displaying discomfort.

Sonea then pointed out that she'd rather leave the past in the past, and move on. Akkarin wasn't the only one impressed by these words.

The painting faded to black, and Sonea turned to face them.

"Well, that's what happened. He kept his word, and even let me take control at one point when I wanted to skip a part. He wasn't keen to watch me panic, either."

"He was certainly less – forceful than last time", Rothen observed.

Lorlen kept quiet as he mulled things over. He'd begun to suspect a possible reason for Akkarin's strange behaviour toward Sonea, and more and more evidence kept piling up. Still, he would have to examine all of this carefully, which was a hard thing to do considering all the other things that had been revealed to him by Sonea.

"We're close to the end, now", Sonea said as she turned back to the painting that showed her and Akkarin in his study. "Brace yourselves. This is not going to be pretty."

"I guess we're about to see the root of his trauma", Lorlen replied in a low voice.

"Correct", Sonea whispered.

Akkarin told Sonea that he'd never shared these things with anyone else before, and that he didn't know how he'd react. He warned her not to touch his lower arms, and Sonea immediately went down a mental checklist of body parts he'd be fine with her touching.

"Good thinking, Sonea", Lorlen praised.

She managed a tremulous smile in return.

However, when she asked Akkarin if he would be fine with a hug, Lorlen frowned.

"Sonea, there is something I need to talk to you about, afterwards."

"Oh, sure."

Having established boundaries, Sonea waited for Akkarin to begin telling his story.

What followed was the most shocking tale of today, at least as far as Lorlen was concerned. When Akkarin pulled back his sleeve, revealing his scarred wrist, Sonea's mind was unable to remain in denial, and fragments of conversations she'd had with Takan and Akkarin flooded her mind. She took note of Akkarin extreme discomfort, and once again moved to soothe him.

Lorlen remembered her words from earlier, how Akkarin most likely would have been unable to open up about this to anyone else. He could understand why, after seeing Akkarin's demeanour.

Both he and Rothen were shocked by what they were seeing. Akkarin, it seemed, had been repeatedly used as a source for black magic.

From Sonea's mind, they learned how Akkarin's boundless curiosity had driven him to enter Sachaka, and how he'd fallen into the hands of Dakova, who had enslaved him, and kept him as a "pet" for five years. Lorlen couldn't even begin to put the amount of revulsion he felt at that into words, Rothen looked like he was about to be sick.

Sonea was crying.

Akkarin mentioned several failed escape attempts, how he'd fallen in love with one of Dakova's slaves, something Dakova had loved to use to torment them with before ultimately killing her in front of Akkarin, how he'd violated Akkarin's mind every night, and taken all the magic he'd accumulated over the day. Eventually, Akkarin lost hope, and grew resigned to his fate.

Lorlen felt his heart break for his friend.

"Tell me, Sonea, do you know if – if he ever tried to take his own life?", he asked in a whisper.

"I don't, but – Dakova considered him a trophy, a valuable prize. He wouldn't have allowed him the chance."

"I see. I was just wondering – I think I'd sooner be dead than a slave."

Rothen nodded vigorously in agreement.

When Akkarin told the tale of the unexpected offer made by another Ichani who wanted Dakova dead, Lorlen sucked in a sharp breath.

"So, that's how that happened."

"I always thought that he'd learned black magic for his own gain", Rothen added, looking contrite.

"Don't beat yourselves up too much, I was just the same, and Akkarin didn't hold it against me", Sonea replied.

Lorlen was about to point out that she could probably get away with anything where Akkarin was concerned, but held his tongue.

Akkarin told of the plan the Ichani had presented him with, and its successful execution. Lorlen felt grim satisfaction to hear that Akkarin had killed his tormentor himself. Akkarin then admitted, with visible shame, that he had killed all of Dakova's slaves next, except Takan. Rothen and Loren were quiet for a bit as they absorbed this.

"Do you think they were glad, to be finally free of that life?", Rothen asked at length.

"I don't know", Sonea replied. "Takan mentioned that they are conditioned to accept things as they are, so they probably believed that this was their lot. They must have known – just as Akkarin – that Kariko would hunt him down. They might have expected to be killed. Akkarin could have hardly brought them all along when he fled."

"I suppose", Rothen replied.

"Be that as it may, Akkarin seems to understand that what he did was morally wrong, which is good", Lorlen pointed out. "I'd be worried if he'd just slaughtered them in cold blood."

Akkarin told a brief summary of his and Takan's journey to Imardin, and how he'd made Takan his servant in an attempt to free him as best as he could. Remembering the state they had been in, Lorlen realised that he'd been spot-on – Takan was, in fact, an abuse survivor – as was Akkarin, although he'd never let anything on. Akkarin then spoke of how he'd been elected High Lord, and that he hadn't been too keen on that at first, something Lorlen hadn't been aware of. It was also during that time that Akkarin developed his habit of haunting the hidden passages in the university. Eventually, he stumbled across the diary of Lord Cohen, which contained hints leading him to the secret knowledge that had been left behind by the Guild's last black magicians.

"I would have never guessed that black magic could be used to create something as wonderful as Cohen's buildings", Rothen breathed. "I'd always wondered how he did that."

"Serves to remind you that a power isn't evil", Sonea quipped.

The Sonea in the painting then expressed her shame at having misjudged Akkarin, something he immediately dismissed. When she told him that she forgave him for what he'd done to her, Akkarin almost threw a fit. Lorlen could understand, although he wasn't exactly surprised by Sonea's words.

Rothen let out a huff, although he didn't seem angry.

"I can't help myself", Sonea said with a wry smile, wiping tears from her face.

The other Sonea pointed out that she'd realised, a while ago, that Akkarin could have made things a lot worse for her, listing a couple of kind things he'd done within the last 24 hours that had struck her as unnecessary, including the concern he'd shown for her family.

Akkarin asked her to clarify what she meant by "things he hadn't done", and she told him that she had expected him to take her power. Akkarin looked utterly horrified at the thought, and she hurried to assure him that this had been based on her ignorance – that she now knew he would never do that. Akkarin then asked her, very directly, if she still feared him. Without hesitation, Sonea told him that she didn't – before adding, after a pause, that he wouldn't harm her. He confirmed that, but added, "not anymore".

While Sonea got hung up on these last words, Lorlen took note of the emotion in Akkarin's eyes. And at that moment, he knew for certain.

Oh, Akkarin…

They continued talking about less serious things, and tried to figure out how to move on from this. Lorlen was surprised when Akkarin told her that he wanted to build a proper novice-guardian relationship, although he supposed that this was a good start. If Akkarin had come on too strong, he might have frightened her.

Akkarin also felt the need to clarify that he no longer considered Sonea his hostage. Lorlen had already suspected as much, but it was a relief to hear him say it.

Lorlen was surprised when Akkarin took care to make Sonea aware of the fact that he could read surface thoughts, and explained that Sonea had a habit of yelling her thoughts at him, especially when she was repressing a reaction.

Rothen let out a chuckle. "The thought of you cursing him in your mind, and him hearing that, is hilarious."

"I'm just lucky he never felt the need to reprimand or punish me for that", Sonea replied with a grimace. "I've had some very unkind thoughts about him."

Sonea then asked Akkarin how powerful he was, and wanted to see for herself. Akkarin was rather taken aback by the request, and tried to dissuade her. Sonea would have none of that.

"We can skip that part, if you don't want to know", Sonea told Lorlen and Rothen.

"I have to admit that I am rather curious myself", Lorlen replied.

Rothen nodded in agreement.

"Very well."

Akkarin's power level was beyond anything Lorlen had expected. Sonea quickly concluded that the Guild wouldn't stand a chance against him.

"Has he increased his power level since?", Lorlen asked.

"I'd imagine so", Sonea replied. "He needs to get ready to fight the next spy, and Takan is his only available source."

Much to Lorlen's astonishment, Akkarin then asked Sonea to tutor him, as he wanted to get better at fighting with knives. Sonea was surprised, and pointed out that she was hardly an expert, but Akkarin would hear none of that. When Sonea mentioned someone named Cery, Akkarin recognised the name – Lorlen did not – and Sonea was quite surprised by that. She then urged Akkarin to tell her how he'd found Cery, and Lorlen realised that he was the boy Akkarin had brought to the Guildhall, the one Fergun had taken hostage to blackmail Sonea.

Sonea agreed to tutor Akkarin, but pointed out potential logistic problems, especially because Lorlen himself and Rothen might panic if she just disappeared. Akkarin suggested using the Arena, and they hatched the plan to start with magical sparring before switching to knives.

"I guess I understand, now, why he wanted you stronger", Lorlen said. "He must have been terribly worried about your safety."

"Oh, he still is. I'm honestly surprised he doesn't follow me to classes."

Lorlen bit his lip to hide his smile. He knew that Akkarin had used the secret passages to spy on Sonea in the past – he wouldn't put it past his friend to do so again if he grew too paranoid.

They wrapped up their talk by getting ready for their evening meal – and Akkarin mentioned that Takan had a surprise for her.

"Oh, so that's why he approached Tania", Rothen said. "She told me about it moments before Yaldin alerted me to the fact that you were about to fight Akkarin in the Arena", he told Sonea. "Tania couldn't tell me why, exactly, Takan wanted that information, but he had, apparently, wanted to do something nice for you."

"Takan has been so kind to me ever since last week", Sonea replied with a fond smile. "That is not to say that he was unkind before – but he's gone out of his way to make sure that I was comfortable, and helped me work through my fears – he actually told me that I reminded him of himself so much, it was almost unbearable for him to watch me live in constant fear."

"That makes sense, considering everything he must have been through", Loren replied thoughtfully.

Sonea hummed. "Well then, this is it. The truth. I sincerely hope that you'll be willing to believe him now because I honestly don't know what else to do."

"You believe him", Rothen stated.

"I do."

"And you trust him."

"With my life."

He let out a sigh. "That's good enough for me, then. Your safety is the only thing that matters to me."

Sonea gave him a grateful smile.

"You were right when you said that I'd regret my actions – and my words", Lorlen said heavily. "And you were right when you called me an awful friend, as much as that hurt. I – feel deeply ashamed of how I've acted. He must hate me."

"I don't think he does", Sonea replied softly. "Rather, I think that he is grieving the fact that he's lost you – he was certain that your relationship couldn't be mended. That you would never forgive him for what he did to you. If you truly feel sorry for what you've done, I suggest you start by apologising."

"I have to, don't I? I am not looking forward to that, though. I'm terrified, to be honest."

Sonea let out an amused huff. "Administrator, he didn't kill you even when you hated his guts, so I very much doubt that he'll kill you if you apologise."

"I'm afraid I'm not even half as brave as you are, Sonea", Lorlen replied with a grimace.

"Practise, then. I'm sure you'll get better at it. And Akkarin is the scariest person around – with maybe the exception of the King, who is terrifying in an entirely different way."

Lorlen's gaze softened. "Oh, Sonea… where would we be without you?"

"Well, for starters, you and Akkarin would still be friends", she muttered.

"You're not blaming yourself for what happened, are you?", Lorlen asked, alarmed.

"No, I was just answering your question."

"Ah. Well, as it turns out, everything was my fault, and I owe you both an apology for this", Lorlen sighed. "I should have never asked Sonea to show me that memory, or dragged you both into this. Akkarin – something I said last week upset him, and he laid into me. Made me realise what I'd done."

Rothen and Sonea exchanged a glance.

"We can't change the past, no matter how hard we may wish otherwise", Rothen replied heavily. "I'll let it rest. As well as the fact that you were willing to sacrifice us."

"Thank you", Lorlen replied. "I appreciate this."

"Oh, one last thing before we leave", Sonea said. "I'm not sure it came across clearly in my memories, so I'd like to point it out for clarity's sake: The Akkarin you've known these past couple of years is a mask, an act he puts on to keep people at arm's length. He's actually a very kind person. It was that kindness that drove him to save Cery, show concern for my family, and to take care of me as diligently as he did, following the attack. He did a lot of 'unnecessary' things simply because he's kind."

Ah, so that's how she's been explaining things to herself. Well, she's not entirely wrong.

"Akkarin has always been kind, even back when we were children", Lorlen explained. "He's the eldest of a crowd of siblings, and felt that it was his responsibility to protect them, to look out for them, something he still does to this day, even though all of them now have families of their own. He gets that way with everyone he considers 'his', that is, someone he should be protecting. I feel like that circle has grown to include Takan, and yourself."

"So – what you mean is that he considers us family?", Sonea asked with a frown.

"It would appear so."

"I guess that makes Takan another brother, then", she mused. "Although I have no idea what I'm supposed to be."

Lorlen had a pretty good idea what kind of role Akkarin had assigned to her, but thought it better not to say that, especially with Rothen there.

"I'd have never guessed him to be capable of such kindness, or to be so nurturing", Rothen mused. "He's a Warrior, isn't he?"

"Yes", Lorlen replied. "He seems to have discovered his inner Healer recently, though."

"Akkarin, the repressed Healer", Sonea said with a giggle.

Rothen and Lorlen laughed.

"All right, then", Sonea said, sobering. "Are you ready to face him?"

"As ready as can be", Lorlen replied with a grimace.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine. He was extremely patient with me – still is, really – and you're his friend."

Lorlen gave her the best smile he could muster. Both he and Rothen declared that they were ready to leave, and severed the connection between them.

He blinked his eyes open, realising that he had no idea how long they'd been inside Sonea's mind. He released her only to see, to his horror, that her legs were giving out.

Her eyes were open, and she seemed surprised by what was happening.

Akkarin, who had been hovering right behind her, immediately moved to catch her, and managed to keep her upright with seemingly no effort. It had happened so quickly, Lorlen wondered if Akkarin had expected this to happen.

While Sonea initially stiffened at the unexpected contact, she relaxed the same instant she realised what was going on.

It was one thing to hear her say that she trusted Akkarin, and another to see visible proof of this trust.

"Akkarin, you should sit her down, she looks like she might faint", Lorlen urged.

He barely restrained himself from approaching Sonea to take her vitals – given how protective Akkarin currently was of her, he wasn't sure how he'd react.

Akkarin gave him a curt nod to indicate he'd heard him, not taking his eyes off Sonea even for a second. His left hand moved to cover hers, his grip loose enough for her to pull out of it if she wished to. Their eyes unfocussed at almost the same time, and Lorlen watched with no small amount of fascination as they had a silent conversation.

The next moment, Akkarin swept Sonea into his arms with astonishing ease – granted, Sonea was tiny, but Akkarin didn't look like the kind of person to be able to lift another adult. Then again, all that hunting and killing spies might help keep him in shape.

Sonea, for her part, made no move to resist or struggle, and Lorlen guessed that Akkarin had secured her consent before doing this – otherwise, he'd probably be getting an earful about now, literally.

Much to Lorlen's surprise, Sonea practically melted into Akkarin, though, which confused Lorlen – he was fairly certain that Sonea didn't have feelings for Akkarin, which would have been surprising – if not alarming – at this point – and yet, she seemed to yearn for physical touch – Touch.

Oh. I think I know what's going on with her.

Lorlen instantly buried these thoughts, hoping fervently that Akkarin was too focussed on Sonea at the moment. He would have to confirm this with Sonea before potentially raising the matter with Akkarin. A tricky situation, really – things could go very wrong if either of them misunderstood why the other was acting in a certain manner.

Akkarin set Sonea down in the chair he'd occupied earlier, and then crouched down in front of her. He made an aborted motion as though he'd wanted to take her hands in his, which Sonea missed – her gaze was distant as though her mind was far away.

Rothen shuffled closer to Lorlen.

"She'll be fine, won't she?", he whispered.

"I imagine so. Akkarin probably already took her vitals, and if anything was wrong with her, I'd like to think that he would have asked for my help."

Which immediately reminded him of the fact that Akkarin had been treating Sonea all by himself the night of the attack – despite not being a Healer. Based on what he'd gleaned from Sonea's memory, he had reason to suspect that her body had gone into shock. Akkarin had accomplished quite an impressive feat.

"Sonea?", Akkarin asked gently, causing her to focus on him. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, I don't think so", she replied with a slight smile. "But I appreciate the sentiment."

Akkarin smiled in return, and Lorlen was honestly surprised that neither Sonea nor Rothen had caught onto him yet – Akkarin was about as subtle as a Firestrike to the face.

Lorlen cautiously moved closer – ready to retreat the moment Akkarin showed signs of hostility. Sonea's face was too pale, and her hands were shaking. She was clearly in need of something, but Lorlen was unsure if she was hesitant to voice her need to Akkarin – or if it was their presence that kept her quiet. He'd seen a glimpse of what their current relationship was like in Sonea's memory from the previous day, but couldn't really form a solid opinion based on that.

A sound from the hallway caught Lorlen's attention. He turned, and was surprised to see Takan standing in the door, a tray in hand. He took in the room, noting the position of every person, before moving toward Sonea at a brisk pace. Akkarin, whose back had been turned, and who shouldn't have been able to hear Takan's approach, stood and moved aside. Sonea took the mug Takan offered her with a smile.

"Thanks, both of you."

Akkarin merely nodded in response, while Takan gave her a bright smile.

"Not at all, my lady."

Oh. Akkarin probably told Takan that he should bring Sonea whatever brew she's drinking using the Blood Gem. And that's also how he knew that he was behind him.

While the thought that Akkarin was practically monitoring his servant around the clock was still unnerving, Lorlen also seemed to remember that Takan wore this gem willingly, for some reason.

Maybe it's important for them to be able to communicate mind-to-mind.

"What are you giving her?", Lorlen asked out of curiosity, trying to shake off these thoughts.

"Lavender", Akkarin replied, turning around to face him. "It works well enough. Sonea suffered a vicious nightmare the night after the attack, and I didn't want to give her something too strong right away."

"I like it", Sonea added. "My whole room smells like lavender now, which is really nice."

Takan let out a chuckle before tucking the tray under his arm, and making to leave.

"Takan, could I talk to you for a moment?", Lorlen asked, while taking care not to block the other man's path to the door.

"Certainly, Administrator", Takan replied, stopping. "What can I help you with?"

"I was wondering – if – if you could show me your arm."

He'd love to examine Akkarin, as well, but thought it better not to suggest as much. Given Akkarin's clear reluctance to reveal his scars to Sonea, Lorlen was certain that he wouldn't be comfortable showing them to him.

But that wouldn't be necessary if he could examine Takan's. They had to be very similar.

Takan blinked, evidently surprised by the question, and Lorlen felt a surge of panic.

"You don't have to, obviously, if you don't want to – "

"I don't mind. They're just another part of me."

"Oh, right."

He remembered Sonea's words from earlier. It seemed that Takan was, indeed, better at dealing with what had happened to him than Akkarin.

Had he been born a slave?

Takan let go of the tray, which was caught by magic, and moved toward Akkarin, who snatched it out of the air and placed it on a nearby table.

Lorlen had to admit that he was impressed by this level of teamwork.

Takan proceeded to roll up the sleeve of his vest before unbuttoning his shirt, and folding the sleeve back. Lorlen had expected it, but he still sucked in a sharp breath at the sight that greeted him. Takan's arm appeared to be even more badly scarred than Akkarin's.

Rothen made a distressed noise.

"May I?", Lorlen asked once he'd found his voice again.

"Certainly."

He examined the scars more closely, both with his hands and his mind, constantly watching Takan's face and body language for any indication that he was uncomfortable with this.

"Don't bother trying to fix them, Administrator, the High Lord already tried that", Takan said softly.

Lorlen swallowed hard. He was pretty certain that Akkarin would love nothing more than to rid himself of the evidence of his suffering, and his foolishness.

"Did you ever treat them? There are special ointments for that", he said instead.

"I wasn't aware."

Lorlen frowned, and shot Akkarin a look.

"Do I look like a Healer to you?", Akkarin asked, lifting his shoulders.

Sonea snorted.

"You could have fooled me given how diligently you've been taking care of Sonea recently, and Takan back when you arrived", Lorlen huffed.

Sonea burst into laughter. Akkarin regarded her with an annoyed look.

"Stop that. You should focus on drinking, instead."

Sonea gave him a cheeky grin, but tried to rein in her mirth. Akkarin let out a huff.

Takan seemed to find the whole situation rather amusing.

Are they always like this? Sonea has certainly become bold. And Akkarin seems to like it.

"Are your scars painful?", he asked Takan.

"Thankfully, no. They're just – there."

"I see. Well, that's something, at least." He paused before saying, "Your arm looks worse than Akkarin's. How – how long – ?"

"I was not yet ten when an Ichani discovered me", Takan replied quietly. "He was kind enough to let my family live – Ichani will only take the most powerful member of a family if they can't afford to bring the whole group along, and usually kill the others, especially the parents – so that they won't produce more gifted offspring other Ichani could use. Dakova would have killed them all.
"When I was fifteen, my master was killed by Dakova, who took me as his own. Around ten years later, I met Akkarin."

Lorlen was too stunned to speak. He still wasn't sure if Takan had already been a slave before that Ichani took him, but he'd been used as a power source for at least twenty years.

Behind them, Sonea let out a string of colourful words that would have made a sailor blush, cursing Dakova's name as well as that of the unknown man, her slum accent breaking through.

His eyes widening in shock, Takan spun around to face her, while Lorlen's eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline. Rothen made a low exclamation.

Sonea broke off in mid-tirade when she noticed their reactions, and blushed furiously.

"I – I'm sorry", she whispered, looking mortified. "I – I didn't mean to – "

She broke off and gave Akkarin a nervous glance. Much to Lorlen's surprise, he seemed amused rather than angry.

"I'm hardly so stuck-up I can't handle a little swearing, and I furthermore agree with everything you've just said."

"That was more than just a little swearing", Sonea muttered. "My aunt would have reprimanded me for using such crass language."

"Well, as it happens, I'm not your aunt", Akkarin told her cheerfully.

Sonea let out a huff before shooting Lorlen, Takan and Rothen an apologetic look.

Not really wanting to go up against Akkarin over something that was trivial, really, Lorlen just gave her a reassuring smile in return. Takan shook his head, looking amused now that the initial shock had faded, and turned back to face Lorlen.

"Was there anything else you needed?"

"Not really, no. But – I think you were right. There is change in the air."

Takan gave him a grin, and excused himself.

Akkarin waited until his footsteps could no longer be heard before brushing past Sonea, drawing closer to Rothen and Lorlen. Lorlen felt a spike of apprehension, but fought that emotion down when he realised that Akkarin was trying to move in an unthreatening way, as much as he could with his imposing height. He was, in turn, watching their reactions closely. He stopped several feet away, for which Lorlen was profoundly grateful.

"I hope that you understand, now, that I had to do the things I did, as much as I hated it", Akkarin uttered softly. "That being said, I wish to express the regret and remorse I feel over my actions. I know that they were wrong. You have my sincerest apologies for all the fear and pain I inflicted on you both."

Lorlen was stunned. He had not accepted an apology from Akkarin – not because he thought him incapable, but because his actions had been justified.

"Why are you apologising?", Lorlen whispered. "You did the right thing. Even if it was wrong."

Rothen nodded haltingly.

Akkarin let out a soft sigh. Then, he fixed his eyes on Rothen.

"Rothen, I need assurances. Prove to me that you will stop trying to undermine me, that you will keep my secret, and I will lift the restrictions I've placed on you, and Sonea. I will allow her to visit you, spend as much time with you as she wants."

Rothen's face lit up with so much hope, Lorlen could hardly bear to watch. It was a clever move on Akkarin's part, really – Rothen was mostly worried about Sonea. Dangling her in front of him as a reward for good behaviour was smart.

"Go on, then, read my mind", Rothen replied. "I have nothing to hide."

Akkarin paused, surprised – apparently, this had not been what he had had in mind – before moving toward Rothen at a measured pace.

"Your co-operation is appreciated."

As his eyes closed, Akkarin's expression became almost peaceful. Rothen, too, seemed rather relaxed.

Sonea made a small sound, and Lorlen turned to face her.

"Are you all right, Sonea?"

"It's – manageable. Oh, I'm so glad I let him read my mind yesterday, or I'd be besides myself with worry right now. Rothen seems to be doing better than last time, too."

"I see. Do you still have some of that infusing left? Or should I ask Takan to bring you some more?"

"I still have some left. Thank you, Administrator."

Taking a deep breath, Akkarin released Rothen, and stepped away. When he turned to face Lorlen, Lorlen felt another stab of apprehension. Would Akkarin be satisfied with a promise, like he'd expected from Rothen? Or would he want to read Lorlen's mind, seeing as how dangerous he'd considered him – dangerous enough that he needed to be monitored constantly? He wasn't going to resist, either way – he'd learned the hard way last time that this wouldn't get him anywhere – and he wanted to get this over with. Still, the suspense was killing him.

Akkarin approached him at a decidedly slow pace, never taking his eyes off Lorlen's face, which made him even more uneasy. He stopped just within arm's reach, and held out his hand.

Lorlen stared at it, rather confused. He was about to ask what it was that Akkarin wanted –

"The ring, Lorlen. Give it back."

Blinking rapidly, Lorlen repeated the words in his head a couple of times to make sure that he'd heard correctly. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his right hand and slowly pulled the ring off.

It felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He dropped the ring into Akkarin's palm. The High Lord narrowed his eyes at it, and the gem was crushed into dust.

"You had better not make me regret this, Lorlen", he warned, although he sounded only half serious.

Behind his back, Sonea was watching them with a big smile on her face. The mug – now presumably empty – rose into the air and landed on the tray.

Akkarin turned away and dropped the ring and the glass dust onto the tray, next to the mug.

"All right! Now that we're finally all on the same page, allow me to tell you why I have gathered you all here today", Sonea announced, raising to her feet and clapping her hands together.

Akkarin turned to face her with a frown. "What kind of plan have you been hatching, Sonea?"

"One to assure the continued survival of the Guild. Your current method – while certainly very effective so far – has one major flaw. Now, I'm not saying that you are unaware of it, but I believe that we need to discuss this."

"Go on", Akkarin replied, his frown deepening. "What is it that I have supposedly overlooked?"

"As everyone in this room is aware, you are the only thing standing between us, and invasion by the Ichani. Just one man. When you die – and sooner or later, one way or the other, you will – we will be left defenceless."

"I'm aware of the fact that I'm not immortal, but the same holds true for Kariko", Akkarin replied. "There is a chance that his plans will die with him, and, if we're lucky, another Ichani will kill him for us."

"You told me yourself that we can't count on being lucky", Sonea countered. "Even if he should fail to unite the other Ichani, even if his dreams die with him – who is to say that no-one else will ever come up with this idea? All it would take was for them to capture one magician – one who lives in the Inner Circle, for example – for them to discover the truth – I'm honestly surprised they haven't tried that yet."

"The spies usually take great care not to attract attention. And taking on a magician is risky. If the spy picked the wrong opponent, he might find himself losing, or exposing his mission. It is unlikely that they will do something like this."

"The chance is not zero, though, which makes it too risky for my taste. And even if the threat might never become real during our lifetime, it may well destroy the lives of our children, or their children."

"Sonea's reasoning is sound", Lorlen interjected. "Although I'm not sure what can be done about this. We can't confine magicians to the Guild grounds, not without good reason."

"I know", Sonea replied. "The solution is simple: Akkarin, you need to pass on your knowledge to a successor, if you will, someone who can take over once you – you're no longer able to continue the fight. Additionally, I don't think you should carry this burden all by yourself. You've done more than enough."

"What, exactly, are you suggesting?", Akkarin asked in a tight voice.

"I'm volunteering. Teach me."

"Sonea!", Rothen exclaimed in shock. "Are you out of your mind?!"

"I will do no such thing!", Akkarin exclaimed, his eyes blazing. "You know the law, Sonea – you know what they will do to you if you are caught."

"I agree with Sonea", Lorlen interjected.

"Lorlen! How could you?!"

"You are a leader, Akkarin – cool your head and think. Sonea already knows about this, and she is one of the few people I can name off the top of my head who I would willingly entrust this power with."

Sonea blushed. Akkarin looked livid.

"I refuse to go along with this, and you can't make me."

"What good is there in me being a good, law-abiding novice if there is no future for the Guild?", Sonea exclaimed in frustration. "I'm not exactly keen on breaking the law and risking execution, but I don't see any other option! My family is out there! If you have a better idea, then I'd love to hear it!"

Akkarin paused.

"Wait, you do?"

"We have two options, truly", he replied haltingly. "The first is, as Sonea suggested, for me to train a 'successor'. The downside to that method is that this person would live in constant fear of discovery. One of the reasons I was able keep this secret for so long was the fact that I was High Lord – living here, in the residence, worked to my advantage, and I could use my influence to make certain connections.
"The other option would be to convince the Higher Magicians to change the law, make it possible for at least a few people to learn black magic, taking away the risk of infighting and execution. The problem here is the method – none of us can make them aware of the threat without revealing the fact that I have killed using black magic before. Someone from outside the Guild would have to do that for us."

"I agree that it would be a bad idea to teach everyone black magic", Lorlen mused.

"But who could convince the Higher Magicians that this threat is real? They wouldn't just believe anyone. Do merchants know about these things?", Rothen asked.

"I doubt it", Akkarin replied. "I can't imagine that the Sachakans are very forthcoming with information about their internal struggles, or how things work behind the walls. We would have to feed a merchant a lot of information for him to be believable, and he still wouldn't understand the true scope of the threat. No, what we need is for a magician to provide this information – someone who knows and understands the threat." He paused for a moment. "I'm afraid I can't go into too much detail – I am bound by an oath of secrecy, which is why I haven't mentioned any of this yet – but I know someone in Sachaka. She is part of one of the many factions, one that is, as far as I know, very similar to us. They don't keep slaves, for one. I could ask her for help. Granted, I have no idea how she would react, and there is a chance that she will reject my plea. But I am willing to try."

Lorlen, Rothen and Sonea mulled over this new bit of information.

"Seems like a good idea to me", Sonea observed.

"I agree", Rothen added.

"In that case, we will proceed as follows: Akkarin, you get in contact with his person. If this plan should fail, you can still teach Sonea", Lorlen concluded.

"Very well", Akkarin replied haltingly. "I can't say how long this will take, though."

"Are we pressed for time?", Sonea asked, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.

"I can't say. For now, we should be safe. The Ichani are no closer to discovering the truth, and the fact that I keep defeating their spies would prevent Kariko from uniting the other Ichani. They won't risk fighting a battle of this proportion if there is a realistic chance of them losing."

"That's good to know."

"Meanwhile, is there anything we can do to help, High Lord?", Rothen asked.

Akkarin opened his mouth, paused, and closed it again.

"All right, spill!", Sonea ordered. "How can we help?"

Akkarin looked supremely annoyed. He exhaled through his nose, his jaw working.

Lorlen recognised these mannerisms as the ones he displayed whenever he was about to say something others weren't going to like, according to Sonea's memories.

"I could use some extra magic, if you'd be willing to give it", he replied in a barely audible voice. "I will not take magic from an unwilling source."

"Sure, I have more than enough to spare", Sonea replied, rolling her eyes.

"Wait", Rothen interjected, his eyes wide. "You want to use black magic on Sonea?"

"There is no need for that", Akkarin reassured him. "Sonea is in control of her powers, she can just send me her magic."

Sonea looked just as surprised as Lorlen and Rothen, and Lorlen realised that she'd been prepared to let Akkarin cut her. He felt another surge of admiration for this wonderful young woman.

"Like in Warriors Skills classes?", Sonea asked for clarification.

"Correct. Ordinarily, the magic you sent would have to be channelled into a shield or a Strike, I, however, can store the power you give me. Just – please don't overdo it. Tomorrow is a Firstday."

"Ugh, Warrior Skills, I know."

Sonea stepped forward and held out her hands. Akkarin closed the distance between them, and took her hands in his. His eyes widened when he became aware of her magic. Not long after, he pulled his hands back.

"That's enough", he said softly. "Thank you, Sonea."

"Don't mention it. I'm glad to be able to contribute something."

"High Lord", Rothen said, taking a step toward him.

Sonea immediately moved out of the way, and went to stand behind Akkarin.

"What is it?"

"If I give you my magic, will you use it to protect Sonea?"

"I will use it to protect all of you", Akkarin replied in an amused voice.

"Sonea's safety is what matters most to me at present, especially given – recent developments."

"I would like to say that I will protect her with my life, but I promised her aunt not do anything stupid, and get myself killed", Akkarin replied, his eyes twinkling.

"What?", Sonea interjected. "Jonna needs to learn to mind her own business…"

"You know Sonea's family?", Rothen asked, surprised.

"I took Sonea to see them last night", Akkarin replied with a shrug.

Lorlen remembered Akkarin's borderline frantic promise to find a way to enable Sonea to meet with her aunt's family. The fact that he had gone through with this, and so quickly, went to show just how much he cared.

"What were they like?", Lorlen asked, curious.

"I mostly spoke with Jonna. It's a little frightening how similar she is to Sonea – or Sonea to her, I suppose. She was initially intimidated by me, but quickly smothered that emotion, and was quite frank with me."

Rothen softly cleared his throat.

"Apologies, Rothen", Akkarin with a lopsided smile. "Did I answer your question to your satisfaction?"

"You did. I will give you some of my magic."

"Thank you. Let me assess how much power you have first." Akkarin took hold of Rothen's hands, his gaze sharpening. "How much magic do you usually use?"

"Not that much. 'Neglect the body, and you neglect the spirit', as my own guardian used to say."

"Ah, yes, the infamous Lord Margen."

"We called him 'the monster'", Lorlen piped up, much to Sonea's amusement.

"In that case, Rothen, you can send me as much power as you feel comfortable sparing", Akkarin said.

"Very well."

After a while, Rothen withdrew his hands, letting out a soft sigh.

"Are you all right?", Sonea asked, worried.

"Yes, I'm fine, don't worry", Rothen replied with a smile.

"Sonea, was there anything else you wanted to discuss with all of us?", Lorlen asked.

"No, I've said my piece, and I'm rather satisfied with the outcome."

"I see. I still have two matters to discuss with Akkarin."

"Oh, right", she replied, immediately catching on.

"Sonea, why don't you take Rothen down to the guestroom, and tell him of your misadventure at the palace yesterday?", Akkarin suggested.

"Good idea", Sonea replied as she led the way to the door. "It was awful. I wanted to die. Or disappear, at the very least."

"Oh, dear", Rothen replied, his eyes twinkling.

The two of them left, Sonea practically bouncing with excitement.

Akkarin watched them go, his expression caught somewhere between fondness, and pain.

"I hate myself", he whispered brokenly as soon as their footsteps had receded.

Lorlen felt a pang of sympathy.

"She's something else, isn't she", he said, hoping to be able to distract Akkarin from his harmful thoughts.

"Oh, indeed. And she still keeps surprising me."

Lorlen took a fortifying breath. This was as good a transition as any.

"She had a go at me, earlier", he said in a rush before he could change his mind. "While we were inside her mind. Said that I'd been a terrible friend, that I had less honour than a Thief. It hurt to hear that, but, the thing is – she was right. I – I've wronged you, Akkarin, severely so. I should have talked to you, should have trusted you – I can't even begin to express how ashamed I feel of my actions. How sorry I am for the mess I've made."

Akkarin had listened to his rambled words in silence, his face expressionless for the most part. Now, however, something in his features shifted, softened.

"I – I don't expect you to forgive me. You must hate me for what I've done, I – I don't deserve to call myself your friend any more, I – "

Lorlen broke off, his thoughts screeching to a halt when he realised that he'd started crying at one point. He blinked rapidly, trying to dislodge the tears.

Why am I crying?

He was somewhat surprised to see that Akkarin was moving toward him. Akkarin grabbed hold of his arm, and yanked with a surprising amount of strength. Lorlen made a surprised sound as he practically stumbled into the High Lord, who immediately wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug.

"You're such an idiot", Akkarin whispered, his own voice throaty. "No, stop it. I've heard enough. I'm just glad to have you back."

Lorlen let out a soft gasp. "How can you say that? After everything I've done, the things I've thought about you?"

"I've decided to take a page out of Sonea's book, and let the past rest. If you truly feel undeserving of my forgiveness, feel free to make it up to me – as I am to Sonea. I don't think I deserve her forgiveness, either."

"I think I can work with that", Lorlen replied as he returned the embrace.

Akkarin held him until his sobs had subsided. Once he felt a little calmer, Lorlen carefully extracted himself from Akkarin's hold.

"Sorry about that", he said sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it. I've had both Sonea and Takan collapse into my arms crying. I've got used to it."

"Sonea, too?", Lorlen asked, surprised.

He had not expected that.

"She was very distraught after that nightmare almost a week ago", Akkarin explained haltingly. "I'm aware that it's not exactly proper for me to do something like this, but I couldn't just stand by and watch her suffer because it would be improper to offer her comfort."

"From a Healer's perspective, I understand", Lorlen soothed.

He'd picked up on the fact that Akkarin had expected to be reprimanded for his actions. Akkarin looked marginally relieved that he hadn't just earned himself a lecture.

"Speaking of Healing – I am willing to help you, and Takan, in any way I can, should either of you wish it. Mind-healing, or just listening to your worries, whatever you need. You – you should have never had to struggle with all this by yourselves, without the help of a Healer. I realise it's a bit late, but – I'm here for you, now."

Akkarin's gaze softened. "I might take you up on that offer."

"Good."

Since he'd finally stopped crying, Lorlen used his sleeves to wipe at his eyes.

"Should I ask Takan to bring you some water?"

"No, no, it's fine. I can manage."

"Hm. You mentioned that you wanted to discuss two things with me?"

"Ah, yes. The other matter is something rather different, something that I feel that I must raise with you both as your friend, and the Guild's administrator. Akkarin, please tell me truthfully – what are your intentions toward Sonea?"

Akkarin looked confused for a second before his expression changed to anger.

"Lorlen! Do you still doubt me, after everything? Were you lying, earlier? I can't think of anything else I do to convince you that I don't mean her any harm – "

"No, no, wait, that's not what I meant at all!", Lorlen interjected, hands raised. "I was talking about something entirely different!"

Akkarin paused, and gave him a penetrating look. "And what, exactly, were you talking about?"

"The fact that you love Sonea."

For a heartbeat, Akkarin didn't react at all, then, his eyes widened in shock. Lorlen had never seen him this surprised before – he dearly wished he had one of Ambassador Dannyl's printing presses on hand so that he could frame this expression, and hang it over his fireplace.

"How – how did you know?", Akkarin whispered once he'd found his voice again.

Lorlen mentally commended him for not trying to deny it.

"I know you, Akkarin", he replied softly. "I'd wager I know you better than Chessea, even. The only reason Rothen and Sonea haven't caught on yet is because they don't know you as I do – you haven't exactly been subtle. Incidentally, Sonea believes that the driving force behind your actions is kindness.
"I believe that you are aware of this, but let me reiterate that relationships between magicians and novices are forbidden, especially if the magician is the novice's guardian. Now, I know that you haven't done anything – Sonea told us as much – but I must ask you to be mindful of your actions. Sonea will graduate in about half a year's time."

Akkarin had listened to him with a rather stony expression. Once Lorlen was finished, he let out a huff.

"I am certain I will be able to restrain myself for another couple of months."

"Another? Wait, Akkarin, how long has this been going on?!"

"I cannot say for certain", his friend replied in a low voice. "But you were the one to lay the foundation with your incessant praise of her. I was in the middle of it before I knew it had begun – the first time I was consciously aware of it was more than a year ago, I think."

"So long? And you've been living with her all this time!"

"Trust me, I didn't want this", Akkarin whispered. "I tried – I tried so hard to make these feelings go away, but even I cannot rule my heart, it seems. One would have think that I'd learned my lesson after the last time, but no, I just had to fall in love with another woman I can never have."

"Don't be so dramatic, Akkarin. Once she graduates, she'll be your equal in practically every way. You can court her then."

"Why would I court her?"

"Because that is what people who are in love usually do? Or so I'm told. Can't say I have any experience with this, myself."

"Allow me to rephrase my previous words: I will not court Sonea."

"What? Why? You love her!"

"And she does not reciprocate."

"Which is good. If she'd fallen in love with you in the span of one week, I'd either suspect that she was insane, or that you were somehow manipulating her. However – she certainly cares about you. Who knows, she might just fall in love with you on her own."

Akkarin looked unsettled by the idea. Lorlen felt the urge to grab him, and shake some sense into him.

"Sonea deserves better than me."

"Better than you? Pray tell, who is that supposed to be? The King?"

"Sonea does not wish to marry the King."

Lorlen barked out a surprised laugh. "Well, good for you, isn't it? That means there is no-one better."

"I'm too old for her!", Akkarin argued, sounding borderline desperate.

"Hardly. The age difference is, what, ten years – ?"

"Thirteen – "

"My sisters were all married to men much older than them."

"And this is supposed to be a good thing?!"

"I don't think someone closer to her own age could give Sonea what she needs in a partner", Lorlen argued. "Compared to her, all the other novices are children. Even people her age don't possess the same maturity as her. They all grew up in the lap of luxury, with not a care in the world, whereas Sonea knew hardship pretty early in life, I'd guess. She had to grow up much faster than they did. Furthermore, the only person she's ever shown an interest in was Dorrien, Rothen's son. Who isn't much younger than we are, and a country Healer, who has seen his fair share of hardship.
"You, on the other hand – you've been through what is arguably the worst. And Sonea emphasises with you. I believe that the two of you would be perfect for each other – you can relate to each other on a level no-one else can, and you can help each other to heal, to grow."

"I hate the fact that you are beginning to make sense", Akkarin groused. "Rothen would kill me, though."

"He might. But don't worry, I'd protect you. And besides, if Sonea were to accept you, he would have to get used to it. And I doubt that he'd stand in the way of her happiness."

He was pleased to see that Akkarin was, at the very least, considering his words.

"At the very least, you should tell her how you feel once she's graduated", he pressed. "Give her the choice to either accept, or reject you. If you never say anything, you'd be taking that choice away from her. And she doesn't seem to like it when you do that."

"The prospect of getting rejected isn't exactly appealing", Akkarin sighed.

"It is by no means certain that she will reject you. She already likes you. Trusts you. I – don't know if she's ever told you, but she told us earlier htat she trusts you with her life. I'd say you have a pretty solid chance."

"I – I'll consider it", Akkarin replied, glancing away. "Just, Lorlen, please – don't try to push her or anything. She's only just learning to trust me – she still has reservations about me, the fear still lingers. If you interfere, you might destroy everything we've managed to build, even if you're just trying to help."

"I understand. I'll be mindful of that."

"Thank you." Akkarin was silent for a moment before fixing his attention on Lorlen again. "Speaking of Sonea, she has a favour to ask of you – you might want to hear what she has to say while you're here."

"I don't mind, but – why me?"

"She requires the assistance of a Healer, and I suggested you, or Vinara. The matter is somewhat delicate – Sonea feels about this in a very similar manner as I do about – about my scars. And she's already experienced negative reactions from others. She is extremely insecure about it, feels ashamed of this 'shortcoming'. I have told her that this is unnecessary, and she understands this to some extent, but it is hard for her to open up about it. If you wish to know more, you'll have to ask her."

"Very well. Do you want to come along?"

Of course you do.

Akkarin paused for a split second before nodding.

"Try and be delicate about it", he implored.

"Of course."

The guestroom seemed, once again, deserted at first glance, however, Lorlen spotted a curl of black hair peeking out from behind one of the armchairs.

"It seems that she has occupied your favourite chair", Lorlen whispered, amused.

Akkarin let out a huff. "She probably figured that I'd be less cross with her than with Rothen."

"Is she asleep?"

Akkarin frowned before shaking his head. "Just very happy right now."

"Should we postpone this, then? I wouldn't want to ruin her good mood."

"The choice should be hers. Just – take care not to sneak up on her. She doesn't like that."

"Right."

Since, unfortunately, the carpet swallowed the sound of their footsteps, Akkarin softly cleared his throat as he approached Sonea. She straightened, probably out of surprise, and rose from the chair.

She then eyed them critically, head tilted to the side.

"Well?", she prompted when neither Lorlen nor Akkarin said anything quickly enough for her tastes.

"I apologised, just as you suggested", Lorlen replied. "And, uh, I'd say we've mended things between us?"

Akkarin huffed, and elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You being an idiot again."

"Rude."

"I see I have nothing left to worry about", Sonea observed softly. "I'm glad."

"Thank you for insisting that we do this", Akkarin told her earnestly. "I was doubtful that it would work. I stand corrected."

"Don't mention it. This is better for all of us."

Lorlen remembered what Takan had said when they'd arrived, and wondered if the man was prescient – or just exceptionally good at reading people.

"Sonea, Akkarin just told me that you have a favour to ask of me?", Lorlen said softly.

"Oh! Yes, I do. Um – do you remember that part when I skipped part of the memory of us in the study?"

"I do."

"Right. Rothen already knows about it, but I – I wasn't comfortable showing this to you, Administrator, and it wasn't relevant to what we were doing." She'd started fidgeting as she spoke, clearly uneasy.

Akkarin left Lorlen's side and moved to stand behind Sonea – in a manner very similar to what she'd done earlier. She seemed to draw strength from his presence, and stood up a little straighter.

"Have you ever seen my handwriting?"

"No, I haven't", Lorlen replied, not sure where she was leading with that.

"I think I may be worse at writing than I am at Warrior Skills", she said with a grimace. "I try my best, but – my handwriting is neither pretty, nor legible, and I'm rather terrible at spelling, too. I – when I saw Akkarin's stupid, pretty handwriting, I got jealous. He then told me that it wasn't my fault that I was struggling, that I simply lacked experience, and offered to tutor me."

"I wasn't expecting that, but I can see why he would", Lorlen mused.

"She asked if I'd let it count as a hobby", Akkarin huffed, sounding amused. "Mind you, that was before I told her everything."

"Moving on. We've had one session so far, and it went – not quite as terrible as I thought it would, except for one thing – my hand cramped up. It does that sometimes. Akkarin suggested that I speak with a Healer about this. I didn't want to."

Lorlen mulled this over for a bit. He could understand why Sonea would be hesitant to raise this matter with a Healer, especially one she wasn't familiar with.

"I can help you with that", he said at length. "But I need some additional information. Would you mind showing me the pen you're using?"

"Sure."

Sonea disappeared upstairs, and returned shortly with her pen. Lorlen instructed her to hold the pen as tough she wanted to write, and examined her hand closely.

"You are gripping the pen far too tightly, which increases the risk of your hand cramping. I would recommend getting a wider pen. I would also like to check your vitals, if that's fine with you."

Sonea switched the pen to her left hand and held out her right hand. Lorlen took it in his, making sure to keep his grip loose. He sent his mind into her body and began analysing her blood and muscles.

"You appear to have a slight magnesium deficiency", he told her as he released her hand. "That is another contributing factor. I can write Takan a list of foodstuffs that would help with that."

"That would be great, thank you."

"I can also show you exercises to help your muscles become more flexible. We could meet at the Healer's Quarters at your convenience."

Sonea nodded before biting her lip.

"What is it?", Lorlen asked gently.

"About the new pen – this one was a gift from Rothen. I don't think I have the money to purchase another one, especially not right now."

"I did offer to raise your allowance", Akkarin pointed out.

"Yes, but I don't need a new pen every month", Sonea replied, rolling her eyes.

"Fair enough." Akkarin frowned as he mulled things over. "If you only need the money for one purchase, I might have an idea – I could accompany you. Takan was supposed to run an errand for me, but I might just as well do it myself. There is a stationary store on the opposite side of the street, they sell high-quality pens there. I could join you once you've made your selection, and handle the payment."

Lorlen liked this plan. A lot.

"Sonea, have you ever been to the Inner Circle?"

"I've been passing through while running errands, back when my uncle ran a trade in the North Quarter", Sonea replied. "But I've never been to the Inner Circle."

"In that case, Akkarin, be sure to show her all the sights."

Akkarin shot him a murderous glare, which went unnoticed by Sonea.

"It's not a bad idea, really, and, if we go together, you won't have to worry about assassins getting the drop on me", she told Akkarin with a grin.

He let out a huff, but seemed less annoyed with her than with Lorlen.

This is blatant favouritism.

"Then we'll do that."

"Great!", Lorlen said, meaning it. "Sonea, once you have a new pen, please let me know when it would be convenient for you to meet with me. I can easily clear my schedule for an hour or so."

"You should be clearing your schedule to take breaks, too", Akkarin chided.

"I'll try. I promise."

Akkarin's eyes unfocussed momentarily.

"Takan says that the evening meal is almost ready. Lorlen, did you need anything else?"

"No, I'll leave you two to enjoy your meal."

"Have a good night, Administrator", Sonea said softly.

"I imagine I'll sleep well tonight for a change", he replied with a wink.

"Good night, Lorlen. And – thank you."

Lorlen gave Akkarin a smile, and turned to leave.

He'd been prepared for the worst when he'd come here, hours ago. Now, things were looking almost hopeful.

---

Lorlen ships it.

And yes, Sonea was rolling around in the dirt outside while Akkarin went to get changed.

The inspiration for Akkarin's words concerning the ability to read actually came from Game of Thrones, where even some nobles can't read or write, and have to rely on the maesters to do that for them, without being able to tell if they do what they tell them to.

Jonna: Why were you holding hands with my niece?
Akkarin: I wasn't.
Jonna: * visible confusion *

Sonea, watching Akkarin toss her cousin in the air: He's good with children, who knew…

Lorlen: So, when are you going to court Sonea?
Akkarin: Never.
Lorlen: * starts planning the wedding anyway *
Akkarin: I liked you better when you hated me.

Akkarin: * presents a long list of all the reasons he can't be with Sonea *
Lorlen: Your arguments are invalid.
Akkarin: Rothen is going to kill me.
Lorlen: Yup.

Akkarin: I, er, could take you shopping, for your protection, of course, and run an errand I would usually have my servant run for me while we're at it.
Lorlen: Great idea! You can show her all the sights, too!
Sonea: I see nothing wrong with this.